


Late Nights in Love

by SeeThemFlying



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Background Jaime/Cersei, College AU, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, It's kinda blink and you'll miss it though, PhD Student Brienne, Slow Burn, University AU, ish, professor jaime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:27:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26534341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeeThemFlying/pseuds/SeeThemFlying
Summary: When PhD student Brienne first escaped to the University Library late at night to avoid her flatmates' raucous parties, she thought it would give her a chance for some peace and quiet.Unfortunately, the world's sexiest Professor who she has been crushing on *forever* has also decided to do a bit of late night studying, destroying both Brienne desire to work and her commitment to staying single while finishing her thesis.Damn Jaime Lannister and his sexy glasses!
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 390
Kudos: 477





	1. Late Nights at the Library

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So, the Professor Jaime/Student Brienne verse from my prompt series was spiralling out of all control, and my inbox was becoming inundated with requests for MORE so I decided to make this its own fic. I hope you enjoy.

The King's Landing University Library remained open twenty-four hours a day, meaning that Brienne could stay as late into the night as she wanted... and Brienne _always_ wanted to. She shared a flat with other PhD students - Margaery and Renly - and Margaery's brother (and Renly's boyfriend) Loras. Most of the time, the four of them got on extremely well, but Margaery, Renly, and Loras also had a love for late night parties, so the introverted Brienne often came to the library to escape when she did not want to socialise.

And to see Professor Lannister.

He was in the Biology Department, while Brienne was a historian, so she had only known his face from his photo on the departmental board. In fact, Brienne had only recognised him the first time she spotted him in the library late one night because Margaery had a habit of calling him the _Hot Prof_ every time that they had passed his picture in the hall.

With hundreds of footnotes to organise, she had barely looked his way.

She only noticed him properly when his appearance in the library had become a pattern. One week, Brienne had done three all-nighters, and each time had spotted him in the same seat, tapping away on his laptop. He had a habit of wearing these abominably cute glasses when reading and always squinted at his screen. Brienne thought he needed to get his eyes tested and often thought about telling him so. However, she didn't want to intrude. Why would the hot biology professor want to talk to the ugly, penniless PhD student? Therefore, it was often only the two of them, but they never said a word to one another.

That had all changed the night of the phone call.

Brienne had been reading a very long (and very boring) article on third century smelting techniques when a phone had rung, disturbing her tranquillity. Looking up, she saw Professor Lannister on the other side of the room, staring at his phone as if it had caught on fire. It took him a few moments to answer, but when he did, he went and hid behind some shelf stacks, clearly hoping he wouldn't disturb Brienne.

Rotten luck.

"You've got to stop calling me."

_Unintelligible chatter._

"How many fucking times?"

_Unintelligible chatter._

"I don't care if you miss me, Cers. I really fucking don't."

_Unintelligible chatter._

"I don't love you. I don't want you. You cheated on me. Why would I ever take you back?"

_Unintelligible chatter._

"I don't care! Goodnight!"

If it had been a landline, Professor Lannister would have slammed it down on the receiver, but as it wasn't, he could only let out his frustration by spitting out a string of expletives. Shocked that someone was exhibiting such passion in the library, Brienne looked up, just at the moment Professor Lannister came back around the shelf.

Their eyes met.

"What are you staring at?" he growled, as if he were a caged, feral animal.

_You._

Yet she did not vocalise that thought; instead, Brienne looked back at her work. At her display of deference, he stalked back to his seat, a dark cloud over his head. As he had his back to her, Brienne could not help but stare.

 _I wonder who he was talking to?_ Brienne mused. _It sounded like an ex-girlfriend or an ex-wife... but why would someone cheat on him? He's gorgeous._

Wanting to concentrate on her work, Brienne turned back to her laptop, but found herself deeply distracted by the fact that Professor Lannister kept tapping his pencil on his notebook.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Brienne forced herself to look at the laptop once more, blinking so she could focus on smelting processes.

_In the third century AC, methods of producing Valyrian Steel had been long lost, although it is known that at least two swords were re-forged from Valyrian Steel during this period; Oathkeeper and Widow's Wail..._

It was no good, Professor Lannister kept tapping.

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Part of Brienne wanted to tell him to be quiet, but another felt that he probably had a lot to worry about, given his mysterious phone call and his general agitation. Consequently, when she went for a quick break to refill her water bottle, she stopped at the vending machine and picked up two chocolate bars; one for him, one for her. On returning to the reading room, when she deposited her gift next to his laptop, he looked up at her, his eyes wide. Brienne lost her courage; he really was too beautiful.

"What is that for?" asked Professor Lannister, looking up at her in surprise.

Brienne shrugged, trying to downplay how much she was blushing. "I don't know... I just thought you could do with something sweet."

"Something sweet..." he mused, looking down at the chocolate bar as if it would burn him. It took him a few seconds, but eventually he picked it up. "Thanks... err... I don't know your name."

"It's Brienne," she mumbled, not able to meet his eye. "Brienne Tarth."

He smiled at her - all dimples and teeth - which Brienne would have thought flirtatious if she didn't look at herself in the mirror every day.

"Well, _Brienne Tarth._ Thanks for the chocolate."

Suddenly feeling very exposed under his green-eyed gaze, Brienne gave him a quick nod and jogged back to her desk, determined to focus on ancient smelting practices. Unfortunately, that was the evening that she noted how you could see Professor Lannister's perfectly formed back muscles through his shirt in the dim lighting, so got nothing done at all.

* * *

Two weeks later, Brienne had a deadline for a conference proposal due, so stayed up two nights in a row frantically trying to get it ready. Professor Lannister was sitting in his usual chair, working on whatever he was working on. When Brienne entered, he gave her a nod of recognition and said, "hey, Tarth."

"Hello Professor Lannister," replied Brienne, smiling at him awkwardly before dashing to her seat. If she looked at him too long, she would melt. Once she had moved passed him, Brienne heard Professor Lannister let out a little chuckle. Too nervous to look back and ask what he was laughing at, she just continued to her seat, determined to get things done.

It was hard to concentrate on her conference proposal over the next two days, as Professor Lannister was there both nights. And it wasn't how it usually was, either. This time, he kept looking over his shoulder at her and smiling. During the first night, Brienne enjoyed this somewhat, even though it made her blush. The second night, it just irritated her. She had to get this proposal done, and she was tired... so, so tired... if he would just stop looking at her... she could finish her work and go home to sleep... sleep... sleep...

Brienne opened her eyes. Light was streaming in through the library windows, which told her it was at least the early hours of the morning. She checked her phone; it was six am. Groaning that she had wasted a whole evening, Brienne went to sit up, but found a blanket had been draped over her shoulders. She looked at it confusedly, before a voice interrupted.

"You looked cold."

Lifting her head, Brienne discovered that Professor Lannister was over at his usual table, packing his things away, all the while gazing at her with that megawatt smile of his.

Once again, Brienne blushed. He always succeeded in making her feel hot. "Thanks... but I didn't need to sleep. I just needed to get my conference proposal finished."

"Third century weaponry?" he asked casually, putting his laptop into his bag.

Brienne's eyes widened. "Yeah... it is for a _Women in War_ conference. How did you know that?"

Professor Lannister shrugged, but at least had the good grace to break eye contact.

The answer came to Brienne at once. "Have you _looked me up,_ Professor Lannister?"

At her incredulous question, Professor Lannister smiled, and Brienne could not tell if it was mocking or affectionate. "I might have done, Tarth. What of it? You have a Student Research Profile; I was just making use of university resources."

Brienne was so baffled by this admittance, that she just kept staring at him. "I... I... I..."

"See you around, Tarth," he smirked, slinging his rucksack over his shoulder.

All out of defences given how flustered she felt, Brienne just about managed to bark back. "My name is _Brienne,_ Professor Lannister!"

"And mine is Jaime," he replied, his eyes twinkling as he looked at her. "Just Jaime."

He left the room before Brienne could say anything else.

* * *

After that, Brienne saw Professor Lann - _Jaime_ \- nearly every time she went to the library, and it left her barely able to concentrate on her work. One day, he gave her a chocolate bar when he went to the vending machine to return the favour, and on another, asked her extended questions about the scientific method in third century Westeros. Every single time their eyes met he smiled at her, which just left Brienne blushing in confusion. Men like Jaime Lannister did not acknowledge Brienne's existence; to guys like him, she might as well be a piece of furniture, or a pavement slab. Yet every time she saw him in the library, they exchanged pleasantries or sometimes more.

"What are you doing here tonight, Brienne?

Brienne tried to look nonchalant, even while her heart was hammering out a song that sounded suspiciously like _I'm here to see you._ "Oh... my housemates are having a party and I wanted to avoid it. They can be a little raucous."

 _Jaime_ chuckled. "Does that make you middle-aged or a grandma?"

"I... I... I..." she began to mumble, before looking down at her work. "You haven't been to one of Margaery's parties."

"No, I haven't," grinned Jaime, running one hand through his luscious blond hair, "but I want to. They sound fun. Maybe you should invite me? We could go together."

Brienne had let out a derisive snort at that. "Oh gods, you don't want to go to one of those parties, I promise you."

"Why not?" replied Jaime, his smile slowly dimming to be replaced by a look of slight irritation. "It could be fun; and, anyway, it would take my mind off the divorce."

They hadn't spoken about whatever was going on in Jaime's private life since the loud phone conversation, and Brienne was not about to start now. It was none of her business, even if she did find him insanely attractive. Consequently, she just waved a dismissive hand at him. "Oh, I assure you, late night library sessions are much more to your taste. Much more fun."

 _And that way,_ she thought, _this whole thing will not be exposed to the light, and I can pretend that this is mine for a few moments longer._

* * *

Brienne knew the strange acquaintance that she and Professor Lann - _Jaime_ \- had built up in the library could not trespass outside the building's walls, or the dark hours of night. There was the fact that she and Professor Lann - _Jaime_ \- would just look so incongruous together in the cold light of day that people would laugh, even before getting to the thorny issue of their respective roles at the university. He was a professor of biology, she a history PhD student. Surely if they became more than friends it would break a departmental rule or something? Brienne thought she should look it up.

 _Actually, that would be a pointless waste of time,_ she concluded. _It is not like anything is really happening._

After a few weeks more of this strange, late night frisson with Professor Lannister, Brienne was walking across campus with Margaery heading towards the Targaryen Lecture Hall. A visiting professor on Dothraki fashion was giving a lecture on the subject and Margaery had been interested, so Brienne had tagged along. Their conversation was not yet on cerebral things, however, as Margaery was lamenting the lack of fuckable men in King's Landing.

"I thought you had that thing going on with Jalabhar Xho?" said Brienne, unable to keep up with Margaery's love life at the best of times. "Weren't you going on about how sensual he was only a couple of days ago?"

Margaery shrugged, seemingly dismissing the suggestion. "He's fun, but there is only so long you can take his irritating pining for his homeland. I'm like... it's not hard, you can catch a plane straight from King's Landing to the Summer Isles. I went there on a sun, sea, and sex weekend a few years ago."

Brienne had been to the Summer Isles too, although her visit was more sun, sea, and ancient ruins. She tried to pretend that didn't hurt. "Well, you could always try online dating."

At that suggestion, Margaery looked as if Brienne had just suggested she sacrifice herself to the gods. "Oh no, no, no. I am Margaery Tyrell. Men I want come to _me_ ; I do not go to _them_."

And then, as if he had been summoned, Professor Lannister appeared in the distance. As usual, he was wearing his cute little glasses, although he was better dressed than he normally was during their late night meetings in the library. He was wearing designer jeans, polished brogues, and a smart shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Brienne found that her mouth was going a little dry.

"Speak of the devil," Margaery purred, her eyes latching on to Professor Lannister as quickly as Brienne's own did. "It is _Hot Prof_?"

Brienne tried to play dumb. "Who?"

Margaery rolled her eyes. "You know, _Hot Prof._ Professor Lannister. The guy on the biology department board that everybody drools over. He's just over there."

"Oh," said Brienne, trying to sound disinterested. "Him."

"I think he's coming this way!" smiled Margaery, running a hand through her hair.

"I doubt it..."

"No, he really is! Look!"

Kicking herself inwardly, Brienne came to realise Margaery was right. Professor Lann - _Jaime_ \- was walking down the same path as them, heading straight towards the pair. Brienne sighed internally. Now was the point in time when her fantasy collided brutally with reality; undoubtedly, he wouldn't even notice her and would just walk on by. Their little word existed only during dark hours in the library, after all.

Yet, when Professor Lannister drew close enough to pull himself out of his daydreams and spot her, his green eyes grew large and he smiled at her. "Hey Brienne."

Blindsided, Brienne arranged her mouth into vocalising a response. "Hey J-J-Jaime."

"I'll see you around," he replied, before walking past. He clearly had something important to do.

Utterly shell-shocked by the fact that _Jaime_ had acknowledged her existence outside the library, Brienne was only pulled off Cloud Nine and back into reality when Margaery gave her a sharp nudge in the ribs. "Hey, what was that for?" Brienne grumbled.

"You are on first name terms with _Hot Prof_ and you didn't tell me _?"_ Margaery squawked, pulling Brienne to a halt, "when you _know_ I think he is the sexiest man in the world?"

Not really wanting to get onto Professor Lann - _Jaime's_ \- sexual appeal, Brienne pretended she was disinterested. "Oh, we have just met in the library a few times. It is no big deal."

Margaery looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "No big deal?!?! Trust you to have an attractive man right under your nose and not even care. Are you on good enough terms to introduce us?"

"What?" asked Brienne, her stomach falling as fast as a heavy stone dropped into a lake.

"Ren is doing one of his Broadway night parties in a few weeks’ time... Oh! Maybe I could come with you for a few study dates, you could casually introduce us, I could invite him to the party and me and _Hot Prof_ could go together dressed as the Phantom and Christine."

Although that idea made Brienne feel a little sick, she tried to sound positive in the way that she turned Margaery down. "You don't like late night library sessions, though. And he's always there... _late._ "

"I don't care!" said Margaery, batting away with Brienne's objections. "He's sexy af. Maybe I can persuade him to stop working and I can go and suck him off behind the bookshelves!"

"Marge..."

"Come on Brienne," pleased Margaery, her hazel eyes big and beautiful, "can you please introduce us? Please? I am hot and he is sexy. We are like a match made in heaven."

Her heart fell even further when Brienne realised what Margaery was saying was true. At least her best friend had a chance of being asked to a party by Professor Lann - _Jaime._ Brienne herself had no hope at all.

"Alright," she sighed resignedly, putting away her own hopes. "I'll do it for you."

Margaery let out a squeak of happiness and pulled Brienne into a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! I'm sure this will all go wonderfully!"

 _Not for me,_ Brienne thought ruefully, but then she remembered.

She was not allowed to want things that were too good for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! As usual, I would love to hear what you think!


	2. Late Nights in the Limelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After bumping into graduate student Brienne on campus, Professor Jaime discovers things have become awkward between them back in the library...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... here is Chapter 2. I hope you enjoy.

Brienne had not been back to the library for a week since Jaime had bumped into her on campus. He was not surprised; when she had spotted him approaching her, she had blushed so hard Jaime had briefly worried her head would explode. Yet Brienne had just about managed to mumble a greeting to Jaime while her blandly pretty friend goggled at them both, before picking up her pace and making her attempt to escape.

Thinking over that brief meeting days later, Jaime could not help but smile at the memory of Brienne's blush. It had been so sweet, innocent, and utterly without guile that it had made his jaded cynical heart do a backflip.

 _Pathetic,_ he thought, _you are a world-renowned virologist who is an expert in tropical diseases, and are currently in the middle of a battle with your insane ex-wife over our beloved beagles Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella. Now is_ not _the time to get a crush._

Yet, being a total dumbass, that was exactly what Jaime found himself doing. He had an _insane_ crush on Brienne Tarth - a first year PhD student with too many freckles and eyes that were just too much (and not to mention her body; she must have been working out since birth, or...) - and regularly replayed little fantasies in his head of going to sit next to her in the quiet, abandoned library and persuading her it would be a great idea for her to kiss him and let him run his hands over those really, _really_ long legs of hers.

Swallowing, Jaime looked back down at his laptop. He had come to the library that evening because he had a report to write and was determined to finish it, not because he was hoping to see Brienne. _Nope._ It was because he and Cersei were both still having a turf war over their house with neither party refusing to move out, so he needed a break from the squabbling and that meant retreating to the library in the evening. That was it; work and Cersei, those were the only reasons he was even here.

Not Brienne at all.

"Oh my god," Jaime muttered the second Brienne pushed open the door into the reading room to head to her usual spot, the words slipping out before he could stop them. This time, she had clearly just come from the gym, and was wearing tight fitness trousers, a crop top, and a KLU hoodie, with her hair tied up in a messy bun. At the sight of her Jaime gulped, but tried to keep his eyes on his laptop.

 _Gods, she's so hot,_ he thought lustfully. _And kind. No one else would get me a chocolate bar just because I look a little down. I didn't know hotness and kindness could exist in one person._

Through his peripheral vision, Jaime watched as Brienne and her blandly pretty friend went and sat by one of the other tables on the opposite side of the reading room from him. Feeling as though someone was staring at him, Jaime looked up. To his surprise, both Brienne and her boring looking friend were gazing at him, though the second his eyes met Brienne's, she dropped her gaze. In contrast, her friend smiled at him, all dimples and fluttering eyelashes. It was a teasing grin, almost coquettish.

Jaime looked back at his work. He didn't want to get involved in whatever _this_ was.

* * *

The next day, Jaime returned to the library in the evening. As part of an escalation of his ex-wife's campaign to make his life a living hell, Cersei had invited her current beau to have very loud sex in what used to be their marital bed while Jaime tried to work downstairs. Not wanting to give up on his claim to their house, Jaime had tried to put up with it for as long as possible, but eventually Robert Baratheon's pig-like grunting had got so ridiculous that he retreated to the library for safety once more.

As he anticipated Brienne was there, but once again she was accompanied by the friend who had been there the previous night. As he walked over to his usual desk, Jaime caught Brienne's eye. She looked nervous, but Jaime was not sure why. He had been diligent enough to check the college guidelines; if he and Brienne ended up having a _thing_ , it wouldn't be against the university's rules, as he was not involved in directly supervising or teaching her. They weren't even in the same department, so it wasn't like they were doing anything wrong. Therefore, Jaime did not quite understand the icy distance she was cultivating and tried to get things back to how they had been before.

"Hey Brienne," he said, giving her a nod of acknowledgement.

At the sound of her name, Brienne lit up like a candle. "Hey--"

"Hey Professor Lannister," interrupted Brienne's friend, fluttering her eyelashes as if she had something in her eye. "Or should I call you Jaime? I hear that is what everyone around here calls you."

That comment made Jaime grind to a halt, slightly surprised by the interruption. "Err... I guess," he said slowly, flicking his eyes from Brienne to her friend and back again. While the former was positively glowing, Brienne seemed more interested in fiddling around with the corner of her shirt than paying any attention to him. "It depends, I suppose..."

"On what?" replied the woman, raising an eyebrow at him.

Not entirely sure what to say, Jaime stole another glance at Brienne. She was still purposefully not looking at him, so he couldn't help but wonder what he had done wrong.

"Whether I know you," Jaime said, his eyes flitting back to Brienne's friend. "Only people I've been formally introduced to get to call me _Jaime."_

At that statement, a thrumming line of tension manifested itself in the conversation. The blandly pretty girl's smile faded slightly, as she looked at Brienne out of the corner of her eye. However, Brienne barely seemed to notice that both her friend and Jaime were staring at her, as she was still fiddling around with her shirt. It took a sharp nudge of the ribs to gain her attention.

"Ouch, Margaery!"

"Sorry," said Margaery, straining to keep a smile on her face. "I just thought you could _introduce us."_

A look passed between Margaery and Brienne that Jaime could not quite read, before Brienne sighed and gestured towards him. "Margaery, this is Jaime Lannister, a biology professor. Jaime, this is Margaery Tyrell, a PhD student specialising in history of art."

Given Brienne's disinterested tone, Jaime tried to engage her a little. "I am a virologist--"

"It is lovely to meet you, Jaime," said Margaery suddenly, her smile lighting up once more as she went to shake his hand. She was wearing such a low cut top that when she leant across the table, the angle meant Jaime got an eyeful. Not wanting to look like a lech in front of Brienne, Jaime purposefully looked into Margaery's eyes and not at her Double Ds, he was normally into small and perky anyway. Yet Margaery did not seem perturbed. Instead, Jaime thought Margaery was acting as if she wanted to eat him. He found it strangely unnerving, as it reminded him of Cersei.

Shooting one last look at Brienne - who was now fiddling around with her pen - Jaime gave Margaery a confused half-smile. "Well, it is nice to meet you too, Margaery, but I have to go and do some work now."

"Okay," she replied, leaning back in her chair and sticking her chest out in a way that was purposefully provocative, "but I suppose I'll see you around, I'm planning on doing _a lot_ of studying here in the next few weeks."

Margaery was staring at him so hungrily that Jaime almost felt embarrassed, so began to turn away. "Yeah, maybe we will. I'll see you too, Brienne."

Briefly, Brienne looked up from her pen to give him an anxious smile. "Yeah, see you soon Professor Lannister."

 _Professor Lannister._ It hurt more than he thought it would, so he turned away from them both so they could not see his fallen expression. Anyway, he did not feel he could continue to engage with Margaery's coquettish flirtatiousness or Brienne's stilted coolness. Jaime sort of wished they would switch approaches.

 _I am here to work, nothing else,_ he told himself as he went to sit in his seat, trying not to dwell on what he had done wrong. _Just work. I don't care if Brienne is ignoring me._

That little lie he was telling himself quickly proved not to be true, as after he finished setting up his laptop, Jaime lifted his gaze to look back at the two women who were now whispering to one another. It took them a few moments to notice he was staring but, when they did, Brienne bit her lip and gazed down at her notebook so intently that Jaime was surprised it didn't spontaneously combust. In contrast, Margaery locked eyes with Jaime and smiled, before picking up her pencil and chewing the end seductively.

Jaime thought she looked faintly ridiculous, but wondered whether he would be nearly so annoyed if it was Brienne giving him the _come hither_ look instead of her friend.

* * *

Over the next few nights, Cersei made it very clear that she intended to claim the house for herself via the medium of elaborate sex games with Robert Baratheon, so Jaime retreated to the comfort of the library in order to do his work. He wanted to have one of those easy chats he used to have with Brienne to clear his mind but, unfortunately, it turned out every time the two of them were there at the same time, so was Margaery.

Margaery Tyrell and her bloody flirtatious winking.

Not really knowing what to do about the situation, Jaime pretended to write a report, even though Brienne insisted on turning up in tight fitting sports gear that made it very difficult for him to concentrate. And then to top it all off, Margaery kept _smiling_ at him in a way that conveyed much more than friendly feelings. It was all so confusing, as nothing was going the way Jaime wanted it to.

And to top it all off, there was no respite to Jaime's torture until, on the third day of this stupid game, Brienne got up to go and search for a book amongst the shelves. Although he was in the middle of marking an essay, Jaime abandoned it immediately to go and follow her. He did not know what he was going to say to her - he was far too impulsive for that - but he knew what he had to do, especially when he saw Margaery shoot him a bewildered look as he dashed past her.

Unsurprisingly, Jaime found Brienne at the other end of the reading room as far away as it was possible to be, hidden by a bookshelf. With her hair tied up, she looked a little like an imperious schoolteacher, which only made Jaime feel very flustered about approaching her. He had been with Cersei half his life, after all; he barely knew how to talk to women, let alone ones he was attracted to!

Clearing his throat, Jaime stepped forward. At the sound, Brienne froze and looked up from the selection of books she was carefully scrutinising. She seemed surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Searching for a book," Jaime replied, thinking on his feet. "It's a library. That's what people do in libraries."

"Really? You are looking for a book in the ancient weapons section? I thought you were a virologist."

Impressed that Brienne had been paying attention and knew what branch of the sciences he was in, Jaime gave her what he hoped was a charming smile before pulling a random book off the shelf. "Yeah, I was looking for this one," he said, waving it in front of her face as if to prove his point.

" _The Blue Knight: A Biography_ by Podrick Payne," she said, reading the cover aloud. After a few seconds of confused silence, she let out the most adorable little chuckle he had ever heard. "Why do you want a biography of the Blue Knight? Does she have anything to do with rare diseases?"

"No, but she does remind me of you," said Jaime stupidly, before he could stop himself.

Unsurprisingly, Brienne started blushing furiously. Turning away from him, she went scrabbling back to searching the shelves. "Oh... I... err..."

"Have I done something to upset you?" Jaime asked, stepping further forward into her personal bubble. Her blush turned truly rosy at the sudden intimacy. "It's just ever since we bumped into each other on campus, things have been awkward, and I just wanted to check that I hadn't done anything to make things weird between us."

As Jaime had not meant for all his worries to come out so easily, he was taken aback when Brienne answered him with a blue-eyed stare that seemed to contain all the concerns he was carrying in his chest. "Things _have_ been weird," she confessed slowly, as if she were searching for the right words, "but it is not because of you, it is because..."

"There you two are! I wondered where you had gone!"

On the precipice of truth, Jaime frustratedly pulled his gaze away from Brienne and turned to look at Margaery, who had snuck up behind him and was now resting her hand on his bicep. "We're just looking for books," he said huffily. "It is what people do in libraries."

"Which one have you got out, _Professor Lannister?"_ asked Margaery teasingly, taking the book from him with her free hand. " _The Blue Knight: A Biography_ by Podrick Payne. Interesting choice."

"She's an _interesting_ historical figure," he replied, snatching the book back a little forcefully.

In spite of his obvious agitation, Margaery just looked amused. "She _is._ In fact, Brienne has been known to dress up as her at fancy dress parties."

At that exciting revelation, Jaime snapped his head around to gaze at Brienne who, for some reason, now seemed thoroughly ashamed of herself. Jaime did not think she needed to feel embarrassed. The thought of her kitted out as the Blue Knight - all swords, armour, honour, and pure unadulterated strength - seemed an immensely tempting prospect in Jaime's opinion.

"It was no big deal," mumbled Brienne, once again not meeting his eye. "Renly throws fancy dress parties all the time, and it was the only costume that didn't look ridiculous..."

"In _fact,"_ interrupted Margaery suddenly, moving so she stood in front of Jaime, directly between him and Brienne, "Renly is having another one of his parties next week because Theon Greyjoy has just been promoted to junior lecturer in the drama department. You should come, Jaime. It would be fun."

Jaime went to respond, but to his surprise, Brienne cut across him. "I don't think that is a good idea..."

"Of course it is a good idea," said Margaery, not looking at Brienne, but instead keeping her eyes locked firmly on Jaime. "In fact, Jaime could be my special guest. The theme is musicals, so I think it will be easy for you to find something appropriate to wear. What do you think?"

She was smiling at him so expectantly that Jaime felt as if Margaery's offer had trapped him in a corner. Trying to find a resolution to his predicament, Jaime looked at Brienne, hoping she would provide him with an escape route. "Are you going to the party, Brienne?"

"I suppose," she shrugged, as if she was not interested by the idea, "I am Renly's flatmate."

"So you won't mind if I come?" he probed gently. Jaime knew if she really thought about it, Brienne would remember he had asked to come to one of Renly's parties with her before. She would see it as an opportunity to talk. Even if he was technically there as Margaery's guest, he could hang out with Brienne... couldn't he?

"Do whatever you want," Brienne said quickly, finally pulling a book off the shelf, "but I've got work to do."

Without saying another word, Brienne bowled past both him and Margaery, returning to her seat. Jaime wanted to follow - something definitely was wrong with her, he just did not know what - but Margaery had a tight hold of him.

"So, I think you and I should discuss our costume choices, don't you agree?"

If the answer to that question wasn't going to Renly's party dressed as Brienne's future boyfriend, Jaime thought Margaery was pursuing the totally wrong line of inquiry.

"Alright. What are your suggestions?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think!


	3. Late Nights in Leggings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Professor Jaime agrees to go on a date with Margaery, Student Brienne struggles with how to deal with him at Renly's party...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three is here!
> 
> This one is dedicated to bananachef, who did some concept art for Jaime's ["abominably cute glasses"](https://seethemflying.tumblr.com/post/629805823884967936/ahhhh-bananachef-i-love-them-i-am-terrible-at)

Margaery Tyrell had always been the type who wore sexy costumes to fancy dress parties, not authentic or historically accurate ones.

"I don't think lionesses wear gold bikinis, Marge," said Brienne from her position on Margaery's bed, as her flatmate tried on her bikini with added tassels, knee high boots, and cat ears. "I think they have a killer instinct and a protective maternal instinct, which doesn't leave a space for metallic swimwear."

Margaery made a snorting sound. "I'm not an actual lioness, Brienne, I'm a _sexy_ lioness. I don't want to accurately portray the species like I am in a documentary or something. I'm going to Renly's fancy dress party where I am trying to _pull._ I don't want to actually look like a feline."

"I don't get why you want to dress like a lioness anyway," said Brienne sullenly, irritated at how amazing Margaery looked in her stupid bikini. Brienne did not get the option to wear sexy fancy dress, given that she normally looked like the Jolly Green Giant's long lost cousin. "This is a _musicals_ party. I'm not getting the link."

"Jaime and I are going as Simba and Nala, _duh,_ " said Margaery, posing in front of the mirror. "I saw the _Lion King_ last year, so I know it is an opportunity to show off a bit of skin... and Jaime _needs_ to see some of my skin if I am going to persuade him that we should fuck in the bathroom."

Brienne had thousands of grouchy, irritable things she could have hurled at Margaery in response to that statement, but she kept her mouth shut. There was no point in being angry, upset, or feeling betrayed that Margaery was going to Renly's party with Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- and she wasn't. It wasn't as if Margaery knew that Brienne had been nursing this awkward little crush on the guy with the cute glasses who had stolen her heart in the library, and as for him... Well, there was no way she could ever expect that someone as wonderful as Jaime would learn to love her. It was stupid to think otherwise. Consequently, she said nothing as Margaery finished fashioning a skirt out of tassels fixed to her bikini bottoms and offered effusive but inane comments when her friend started using the length of her room as a runway.

"Do you think he'll like it?" asked Margaery, striking yet another pose.

"I'm sure he'll love it," Brienne replied honestly. "You look beautiful."

 _And that is what men want, isn't it?_ Brienne thought. _Beauty._

With that thought in mind, when she went to her own room to get dressed in her costume, Brienne was motivated by the need to make other people laugh (and, in a small way, to punish herself for never being good enough to wear a gold bikini and cat ears and go on dates with Jaime Lannister). Consequently, the costume she had picked out was quite unlike Margaery's. Choosing the character she most identified with from the musical theatre canon, Brienne put on silk trousers, a cambric shirt, boots with buckles, a black wide-brimmed hat, and a mask that covered half her face, so she could do an authentic homage to the Phantom of the Opera the first time he takes Christine into his underground lair.

Once she was dressed, Renly poked his head round the door. "Oooh, love the costume, babe. You make a great Phantom."

"Thanks," replied Brienne, knowing that wasn't a completely flattering compliment. "Do you need help with anything?"

Renly gave her a relieved smile. "Can you come and help make cocktails in the kitchen? Loras is laying out the drinks but we bought far too many, so I need help in keeping him under control."

"Alright," she agreed, billowing her cape as she turned around. "Margaery is going to spend hours curling her hair, after all."

Renly laughed knowingly before the two of them headed out to the kitchen, where they found Loras making Piña Colada's. Even though both Renly and Loras were both dressed as drag queens from _Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,_ Brienne paid them no mind because wearing extravagant costumes on nights out was fairly normal for the both of them. On the other hand, Loras did not seem to have the same idea about _her_ costume, as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she entered the room.

"The Phantom?" he asked.

Brienne nodded and came over to help him with the drinks. Loras rolled his eyes.

"You know, you don't need to advertise your lack of confidence," he said, banging an ice pack on the side to release the cubes. "You could have come as literally anyone to this party - let your imagination fly - but you decide to put on a mask that covers half your face because you think you should hide away. I promise you, Brienne, you don't."

Not liking having a psychology session over Piña Colada's, Brienne let out a snort of disagreement, just as Renly came to her rescue. "Loras, Brienne can wear whatever she wants..."

"Yes, she can," agreed Loras, "but it always makes me sad that she always comes to our parties dressed as someone ugly, and not ironically ugly; the Phantom, Quasimodo, Shrek..."

Renly went to say something else in her defence, but Brienne shushed him as she derisively laughed at Loras' statement. "The reason I don't come to parties dressed as someone ironically ugly is that there is no irony in my ugliness, Loras."

"You are not ugly, Brie," said Renly firmly, stepping forward in his ridiculous, stunning drag queen costume that made him look more beautiful than she could ever be. Although she appreciated the gesture, Brienne could sense its insincerity, so she just patted him on the shoulder. Sensing that she was trying to brush him off, Renly tried again. "Okay, you might not be the most conventional looking woman ever, but I promise you there are guys out there who will like what you are advertising; you are tall, strong, you work out, you've got great muscles and--"

"Renly, guys who like great muscles on their romantic partners are into _other guys,"_ she said, as if she were the authority on human relationships. "Guys who like girls are into pretty and petite. There's no way those two categories can ever combine."

"Some people are bisexual, Brienne," interjected Loras, rolling his eyes.

That thought made Brienne pause. Was Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- bisexual? He did go on about how much he loved all those old Arthur Dayne action films, after all.

In the end, however, she shook that thought from her head. She had seen a picture of Jai - _Professor Lannister's_ \- ex-wife when she had stalked his social media profiles, and she was gorgeous. And, on top of that, he had agreed to come to this stupid party with Margaery, who was cut from the same cloth of delicate loveliness. No matter how many lectures on confidence Brienne got from her well-meaning housemates, she could never be a Margaery or a Cersei _,_ no matter how hard she tried. Brienne could never attract Jaime's attention, even if he did like all the muscles on display in an Arthur Dayne film. Therefore, it didn't seem worth it to try to appear something she wasn't. Instead, Brienne would just retreat into all the things she could be; nice, studious, and invisible.

Just like she was in the library when sitting next to Margaery Tyrell.

"Yes, some people are bisexual, but bisexual guys would still take Margaery in her gold bikini any day of the week," said Brienne, trying and failing not to sound resentful.

At her statement, Renly's eyes went very wide. "Wait, are you pissed off with Margaery?"

"No, I'm not pissed off with Margaery," she lied, her tone one of irritation. "But I _am_ pissed off with this conversation. I wanted to come to this party as the Phantom, and now Loras is telling me I shouldn't!"

Putting down the pack of straws he was holding, Loras held his hands up in surrender. "All I am saying is you could at least have come as Sexy Phantom. I hate to see you doing yourself down, Brie."

"I'm not doing myself down! I'm just getting ready for a fancy dress party!" she squawked, right on the edge of genuine annoyance. "So can we please just make these cocktails and talk about something else?"

Sensing the threat of a full blown argument, Renly stepped in between Loras and Brienne and started breezily discussing a new TV show he was watching. Brienne found that immensely reassuring, as it meant she could focus on cutting up the lemon for the cocktails and not on her own inadequacies, or on Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- and Margaery.

In truth, the two were interlinked.

* * *

By the time the party was in full swing two hours later, Brienne was in a much better mood, mostly because the house was full of people and she had not yet had to deal with the situation that was preoccupying all her thoughts. Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- was fashionably late, causing Margaery to be quite irritated.

"You'd think he would be excited to see me," she said gruffly, as she stood in the lounge along with Brienne, Renly, and Loras drinking cocktails. "Guys are always all over me, but he is playing this all aloof. Do you think that is normal for him, Brienne?"

Brienne shrugged, trying to feign disinterest. "I don't know, Marge. Professor Lannister and I just chat in the library sometimes. I don't know what is normal behaviour for him."

"Well," huffed Margaery, folding her arms across her bikini top. "You would think..."

At that moment, Margaery's phone (which she was holding in her hand) buzzed loudly, causing her to lose interest in the conversation and look down at it. While Brienne watched her suspiciously, Renly and Loras changed the topic of conversation to Theon, in whose honour the party was being held.

"I'm so happy for him," said Loras cheerily. "Theon has been wanting this promotion for a long time, and I..."

Brienne stopped paying attention when Margaery smiled excitedly at her phone, turned on her heel, and headed out of the room. Even though she knew she should be listening to Loras and Renly's conversation about Theon, Brienne could not help but wonder if Margaery had just had a message from Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- telling her of his arrival.

Renly nodded along with Loras. "It was definitely Theon's time. I think he's thought of dropping out of becoming an academic altogether at points."

"Oh, that's so sad. Sometimes, that career path seems so unstable..."

Loras' words turned to mush in Brienne's ears as she became distracted from whatever he was saying, because at that moment, Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- entered the room with Margaery hanging off his arm, looking quite unlike Brienne had ever seen him. Gone was the geeky professor aesthetic, complete with woollen jumpers over shirts and cute glasses. Instead, he was dressed as a lion, and not an authentic lion but a _sexy_ lion. Apart from the tan jeans and matching trainers, all he was wearing was a lion's mane headdress that was draped artfully over his head and shoulders. Yet that was not the most eye-catching thing about him. Golden and beautiful, he was totally shirtless, revealing the most perfectly sculpted chest with an almost artistic smattering of chest hair. All Brienne's blood rushed to her cheeks in a swoop of embarrassment and desire, so when Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- caught her eye and waved, she froze, unsure of what to do.

She only came back into the room properly when she heard Renly beside her. "Oh, _that's_ why you are pissed off with Margaery."

"What?" snapped Brienne, just able to pull herself away from looking at Jaime to turn to Renly.

Her friend was smiling at her kindly. "Margaery is here on a date with a guy _you_ want to be on a date with, and that's why you were getting all pissy about her golden bikini earlier."

Flustered, Brienne tried to object. "I... you... no that's not... we..."

However, her attempt to disprove Renly's theory was totally derailed by the fact that Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- was gazing at her warmly, and him and his date were approaching in their general direction.

 _Oh shit,_ thought Brienne panicked.

"Renly," she said sharply, turning to him and shoving her drink in his hand. "Stall them."

"What?"

"You heard me, _stall them,_ " she hissed as Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- and Margaery came closer and closer. "I'm just not ready to deal with this right now and I need some air... I need to get out of here."

Before Renly or Loras could get a word in edgeways, Brienne dashed away with all the speed and agility of the north wind. Although she felt a little guilty, in truth, Brienne could not bring herself to face Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- just yet, because surely he would only have to glance into her eyes and see the depth of her feelings fully on display how.

And she could not bear the laughter or, even worse, his pity.

Running as fast as she could, Brienne only began to calm down once she had escaped the lounge and had headed for the safety and security of the toilet (which had a lock on the door). Its small security allowed her a confrontation with her own fears away from other's prying eyes.

 _Breathe,_ she instructed herself as she stared into the bathroom mirror. _If you overreact to his presence, he'll_ know _how you feel about him, which will just be awkward and embarrassing when him and Margaery get together. So just chill out._

Yet no matter how much she told herself to calm down, Brienne found it difficult. She hated parties at the best of times, as they always seemed to magnify her discomfort with herself; indeed, she never felt more awkward and _seen_ than when she was at a party. Furthermore, Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- was at this party too, and without his shirt on, meaning Brienne was having to deal with not just her supreme inadequacy, but the fact she wanted to lick a pathway down his chest from his clavicle down to the top of his jeans. It was just giving her so much more to worry about.

It took a few more minutes for Brienne to get her bearings, but she eventually managed to get a hold of herself and leave the bathroom. Peeking into the lounge, she discovered that Margaery and Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- were still speaking to Renly and Loras. From this angle, she could see the perfect lines of Jai - _Professor Lannister's_ \- back, and the sight was so lovely that it made Brienne both horny and a little angry with herself. Not wanting to face him, Brienne decided to go hide in the kitchen with the cocktails. Although making cocktails for people was not exactly fun, it was much more enjoyable than being in Margaery and Jai - _Professor Lannister's_ \- presence, so she stayed hidden for as long as possible.

In fact, for the rest of the night, Brienne found she was largely successful at keeping away from him. Although Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- caught her eye and waved a few times from the other side of the room, she never went to engage properly. She pretended she was chatting to Theon, or helping Jeyne Poole fix her costume, or cleaning up in the kitchen. The entire attempt to hide from Margaery and Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- was so exhausting that by eleven o'clock, Brienne just wanted to the party to be over and to go to bed. However, that was not possible - Renly's parties always lasted well into the early hours, after all - so instead she went to hide on the balcony, with only the company of the fresh air and the stars. Alone in the darkness, she had hoped she would feel better, but mostly she was just reminded of how incredibly lonely she was.

 _It's just the way it is,_ she told herself sadly. _Women like me can't expect anything from men like him because we can't wear gold bikinis and be an object of desire. I just have to accept that. Jai - Professor Lannister - can be my friend, but never something more._

"I hoped I would find you eventually."

His voice was so silky smooth that Brienne nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound. "Professor Lannister!" she stammered, spinning around to face her nightmare, horrified that he had caught her.

His tentative smile dimmed slightly at her exclamation. "It's Jaime, remember? My name is Jaime."

"Yes," Brienne replied, blushing profusely as he stepped forward, just that tiny bit closer. After a few awkward moments of silent dancing, Jaime was close enough that if she reached out, Brienne could run her hand down that perfectly formed chest of his. Trying not to get distracted, Brienne attempted to focus on something that was not his incomparable beauty. "Where is Margaery?" she asked, her voice falsely light.

Jaime shrugged. "No idea. I am here talking to you, aren't I?"

"Yes," said Brienne again, this time more tersely, "but you are on a _date_ with Margaery. Surely you must know where she is?"

To Brienne's surprise, Jaime's pretty eyes suddenly went very wide. "I don't think Margaery and I are on a _date."_

"Then what do you call it?" snapped Brienne, not really having the energy to play semantics with him. "You came here together and are dressed as Simba and Nala. That looks like dating to me."

At Brienne's assessment of his situation, Jaime waved his hand dismissively, before giving her a teasing smile. "I am a Lannister; the lion is my house sigil. When Margaery suggested we dress up as lions, I _had_ to agree. And, anyway, don't you like my costume?"

Brienne swallowed nervously; she loved his costume, it made him look like half a god, but she didn't want him to know that. As if to goad her into telling him how wonderful he looked, Jaime extended his arms, put his hands on his hips and struck a pose, like he was a model and she was a photographer. His smile was electric. Not liking the way he was seemingly riling her up, Brienne made a _tsk_ sound and rolled her eyes. "It's alright, but I think the fake chest hair is overkill."

For some reason, Jaime's smile grew even larger. "That's not fake chest hair, Brienne. It's real. Do you want proof?"

Her breath caught in her throat at that offer.

"I... err..." Brienne mumbled, her face burning as she kicked herself for her own stupidity. Not only had she made an idiotic comment, but she had revealed that she had looked at his chest enough to study his chest hair, even though she had not said a word to him all evening. "I... um... its..."

"You can touch it if you want, you can touch me," Jaime said quietly, extending his hand to her. "Give me your hand and I'll show you..."

In her heart of hearts, Brienne knew she shouldn't. Jaime was here on a date with her friend, and nothing could come of this weird little thing that had flowered between them during late night visits to the library. Nevertheless, the baser, animal part of Brienne's brain took over. She _wanted_ to touch him; hell, she wanted to kiss him too, but she knew that was impossible, knew that was too much to ask. Therefore, this offer seemed like a small shining sliver of what she _could_ have if she was a woman who looked like Margaery. Knowing she would perhaps never have another chance like it, the selfish part of Brienne took over and she seized the only opportunity she would ever have to be closer to him, and let Jaime put her hand on his chest.

He let out a little sigh as she touched him - manly and deep - that sent a thrill of want up her spine. Jaime was just so damn perfect. His hair felt so silky and soft that Brienne could not help but run her fingers through it, accidentally brushing his nipple at she did so. A spark of electricity seemed to pass between them at that intimate contact, and it made Jaime gasp, then step forward into Brienne's touch. His small gesture made her heart flutter, so Brienne continued to feel his chest, lifting up her other hand in order to run her fingers down the trail of hair that skirted down from his belly button. As she trailed the line down the centre of his abs, Jaime started making strange little growling sounds at the back of his throat. She wondered if he was trying to do an impression of a lion.

"Have you seen Jaime?" came a voice from just inside the door. There was no mistaking it for anyone other than Margaery.

"Er..." said someone in response, probably Renly. "I think he's out on the balcony."

Although Jaime had his eyes closed and both his hands rested on Brienne's hips, Brienne leapt back, not wanting Margaery to get the wrong impression. She had just been checking out his fancy dress costume, after all. When Brienne stopped touching him, Jaime's eyes clouded in confusion for a few moments, until Margaery made her appearance on the balcony.

"Oh there you are," smiled Margaery, her eyes brightening at Jaime's presence. "What are you doing out here with Brienne?"

Jaime went to respond, but Brienne cut across him. She did not want him muddying the water with some half-cooked story that could be miscontrued. "We were just talking about late night library stuff, that's all. I've got to go anyway... I'll leave you two alone."

"Wait," said Jaime, reaching out towards her, forcing Brienne to dance out of his grasp. "Where are you going?"

"Just inside to get a drink," Brienne replied swiftly, averting his gaze. "You and Margaery should talk; you are on a date after all."

While Margaery's expression was one of silent thanks, Jaime looked displeased. "Brienne, I..."

"I'll see you both later," Brienne said, not wanting to get into conversation with the two of them while her hands and heart still burned with the memory of touching him.

So, before either of them could say another word, Brienne disappeared back inside the party, leaving Margaery and Jaime alone. After all, the two of them were beautiful enough to be each other's equal together.

It was a world to which Brienne did not belong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Comments are greatly appreciated :)


	4. Late Nights and Lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Professor Jaime's talk with Student Brienne on the balcony, he has to decide what to do about Margaery...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hi guys! Before I post this chapter, I just wanted to say the incredibly talented knifeears did some art for this fic of Jaime in his sexy lion costume, and Brienne as the Phantom. I love it dearly and you can see it [here](https://seethemflying.tumblr.com/post/629886257590419456/knifeears-knifeears-warmup-for-tonight-is).

Jaime almost laughed when he saw who Brienne had come to the party dressed as: The Phantom of the Opera. Complete with a cape and a mask, Brienne had gone the whole hog in dressing as the musical madman, to the extent that Jaime started wondering if Brienne felt some sort of affinity with him. Was she really good at composing music? Did she play an instrument? Or did she really just love a good musical? Wanting to discover the truth, Jaime made plans to corner her all night long.

However, he soon found he had two problems to contend with. The first was that Margaery stuck to him as tightly as a very committed limpet, laughing at his jokes and fluttering her eyelashes at him. She blinked so often that he wondered if she had a retina problem, and briefly considered referring her to his colleague Doctor Qyburn, a noted ophthalmologist.

"I really like your costume," she purred, clinging onto his arm. "I didn't know you would be so committed to dressing up as Simba."

Jaime shrugged non-committedly. "The Lannister family sigil is a lion. I could hardly do it half-heartedly, could I?"

Margaery tittered girlishly at that barely funny statement and lent close to him, giving him a good eyeful of her cleavage so artfully presented in her gold bikini. Although Jaime could see her evident charms, he was much more interested in finding Brienne, so jerked away abruptly. Margaery pouted disappointedly.

"Err... I just need to go to the toilet," he mumbled. "I'll be back in a minute."

As he fled from Margaery, Jaime's second problem became rapidly apparent. His sexy Phantom was remarkably good at hiding. Although the flat was small, Brienne seemed to have an immense talent for concealing herself, which Jaime thought was incredibly impressive considering she was six foot three of strong, wired muscle, freckles, and arresting blue eyes.

 _Where are you, Brienne?_ he asked himself, flitting from room to room, always avoiding Margaery. _I came to this party to spend time with you... surely you know that by now. So where are you?_

After much searching - and several detours by the drinks table - he eventually found her out on the balcony, her tall, strong figure stark against the silvery moonlight. Her cape blew in the wind along with the shoots of white blonde hair visible under her hat. At the sight of her, Jaime felt his throat go dry. As he had been with Cersei since he was young, he had no idea to talk to women, especially one who turned him on in the way Brienne did.

Consequently, his opening line was remarkably honest.

"I hoped I would find you eventually."

Brienne jumped, her cheeks flushed, and her expression flustered.

"Professor Lannister!" she squawked, turning to look at him, her eyes bright in the moonlight.

There was something hurtful in the way she put a barrier between them by using his title, so Jaime tried to push through it. "It's Jaime, remember? My name is Jaime."

"Yes," Brienne replied, unable to meet his eyes. Wanting to comfort her and to weave some of the intimacy between them they had experienced in the library, Jaime walked forward until he was right in front of her. It was impossible for her to keep hiding from him... or so he thought.

"Where is Margaery?" she asked, somewhat defensively, her expressive eyes narrowing.

Jaime shrugged, determined to signal his disinterest in Brienne's best friend. "No idea. I am here talking to you, aren't I?"

Her eyes flashed with annoyance and Jaime could not quite work out why. "Yes, but you are on a _date_ with Margaery. Surely you must know where she is?"

"I don't think Margaery and I are on a _date,_ " Jaime said, trying to defend himself. He had only come to this party with Margaery because Brienne had not taken him up on his offer, after all.

Brienne raised a sceptical eyebrow at him. "Then what do you call it? You came here together and are dressed as Simba and Nala. That looks like dating to me."

"I am a Lannister," said Jaime, waving his hand in an attempt to justify his choice of costume, just as he had to Margaery. "The lion is my house sigil. When Margaery suggested we dress up as lions, I _had_ to agree. And, anyway, don't you like me costume?"

Wanting to give her a good view, Jaime put his hands on his hips, knowing enough basic psychology to realise it would draw attention to all the best bits of his anatomy. For a few passing moments, it seemed as if Brienne would take him up on the offer and feast on the sight, as her eyes rolled over his body, voraciously consuming every bare inch of skin she could see.

The magic broke, however, when she made an annoyed little _tsk_ sound and rolled her eyes. Jaime had to fight to keep his composure. "It's alright, but I think the fake chest hair is overkill," Brienne said, a little coldly. It was clear she was trying to re-establish a sense of distance.

"That's not fake chest hair, Brienne. It's real," smirked Jaime, feeling it was futile to pull away considering she had already taken the proper time to marvel over his appearance. "Do you want proof?"

Brienne blushed so violently it was like a house catching fire.

"I... err... I... um... its..."

"You can touch it if you want, you can touch me," said Jaime quickly, reaching out to her. He knew what he wanted, and there was only a very small window in which this could be achieved. "Give me you hand and I'll show you..."

Fear flickered in Brienne's eyes. Jaime wondered what she was scared of. Him? Herself? Someone intruding? However, he rapidly realised that Brienne had come to the same conclusion as him - that if she wanted him, she should just _take_ him - and before he could catch a breath, Brienne's hand was on his chest; warm and strong and so _so_ good.

The tension had been building between them for so long that, when Brienne spread her palm flat on his chest, Jaime could not help but groan with relief. He had wanted this for so long and, because of the divorce, had not been touched with tenderness and care for what felt like a millennium. Consequently, as she began to run her fingers through his chest hair, Jaime could not help but step into her touch, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He did not resist as she continued to feel him; not when she brushed against his nipple, nor when she lifted her other hand and traced the trail of hair that extended beneath his belly button. As her fingers journeyed downwards, Jaime's cock sprang to life, and his mind suddenly erupted with thoughts of dragging her into the downstairs bathroom, ripping off her costume, and enacting all his filthiest fantasies together. Needing to hold onto her, he lifted his hands and rested them on her hips, wanting to feel close.

 _Yes,_ thought Jaime desperately. _Yes, Brienne. Yes... Yes... Yes..._

Then suddenly, it was over. She withdrew her hands from him and leapt away, causing Jaime to open his eyes in confusion. Although her face was partly hidden by her mask, Jaime could see how embarrassed Brienne was, and was about ask her why when Margaery made her entry onto the balcony.

"Oh, there you are," said Margaery breezily, her eyes fixed on Jaime. "What are you doing out here with Brienne?"

Jaime was about to tell her directly that he was hanging out with Brienne and it was none of her business, but then the Phantom herself interrupted him, a stern look on her face. "We were just talking about late night library stuff, that's all. I've got to go anyway... I'll leave you two alone."

Not even looking at him, Brienne went to move away, so Jaime reached out to her. Unfortunately, she was too fast, and flitted out of his grasp.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

She could not bring herself to meet his eye. "Just inside to get a drink. You and Margaery should talk; you are on a date after all."

Not agreeing with that summation of events, Jaime tried to let Brienne know that. "Brienne I..."

"I'll see you both later," she said imperiously, dashing away before Jaime could stop her. Her Phantom cape billowed out behind her as she dashed inside, disappearing as quickly as the Angel of Music after a magic spell. Watched her go, Jaime could only pout in irritation as Margaery came to stand before him, resting both hands on his biceps.

"I am so glad I have got you alone... _finally,"_ purred Margaery, smiling at him so gaudily it almost reminded him of Cersei. "We really need to talk."

In spite of her desires, Jaime did not look at his sort of date. Instead, he was entranced by Brienne, who was still visible the other side of the glass doors. Although she was facing away from him, Jaime could not help but think what a sexy back she had. He wanted to run a line of kisses between her shoulder blades, and not stop until he reached her ass.

"Do we?" he asked distractedly, entranced by Brienne's broad shoulders holding up her cape.

"Yes," replied Margaery stoutly. Clearly not liking being ignored, she reached up and cupped his cheek, forcing him to face her. She grinned at him ravenously. "I have to be honest with you, Jaime, I don't like playing games."

"Neither do I," he said confusedly, not quite sure what she was getting at. Cersei had always played games, so Jaime was now committed to avoiding them. Brienne did not seem like a game player; indeed, she seemed a bright, innocent spot of wonder in the world.

Margaery's smile grew bigger at that admittance. "Oh good... because I think it is about time that we make our intentions clear."

Jaime furrowed his brow. "Our intentions?"

Margaery stepped forward, so close he could feel her breasts against his bare chest. Jaime gulped. Although _he_ didn't believe he was on a date with Margaery, the way she was gazing at him - heated, hungry - suddenly made Jaime realise that _she_ did.

_Oh dear..._

"We should fuck," declared Margaery, without a hint of shame. "And then, if you want, we should date."

Unused to forward women - at least, unused to women who were _outwardly_ forward and utilised honest talking - Jaime found himself quite flustered. "Oh... I... uh..."

"I saw your photo on the departmental board and I knew I wanted you," she said, leaning in even further so they were close enough to kiss. "And then I found out that you were Brienne's little library buddy, and I knew I had my chance. I asked you here tonight in order to make you an offer... that I don't think you would want to refuse."

Jaime swallowed nervously, unsure of what to say. "And what is your offer?"

"You. Me. My room. A six pack of condoms," Margaery said, before licking her lips in a way that was downright sinful. "What do you say?"

The answer came quick as a heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

Margaery's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Why? I don't just hand out that offer to everyone, you know. I'm not the town bike."

"I'm sure," replied Jaime politely, stepping away from her so he did not feel so pulled into her orbit. "But I don't really want to..."

"Why? Are you gay?"

"No!" said Jaime indignantly, astounded that Margaery's arrogance was so huge that she couldn't believe any man would turn her down unless he was a homosexual. "I just can't sleep with you because..."

"Yes?"

"Because..."

" _Yes?"_

Letting out a huff of annoyance, Jaime dropped his voice to barely a whisper, not wanting the woman of his dreams (who was still standing on the other side of the door) to hear him. "Because I only agreed to come here with you because I wanted to spend more time with Brienne... because I _like_ Brienne and she barely notices I exist."

Margaery considered that statement for a few moments, before tilting her head to the side. " _You_ like _Brienne?"_

"Yes," replied Jaime, irritated that Margaery could not see how wonderful her supposed best friend was. "She's kind and clever and..."

Margaery waved her hand in front of his face, silencing him at once. "Don't get me wrong, she's great, but... well, _I_ didn't pick up on the fact that you fancied her, so she's definitely not going to. Brienne would not notice if a man was attracted to her if he wrote it on his chest in purple and danced naked in front of her face. She doesn't even bother to date or chase anyone she likes or _anything._ So, if you want to woo her, you will have to make a big grand gesture that even _she_ wouldn't be able to mistake."

"Like what?" asked Jaime, a little desperately, suddenly seeing Margaery as more a love guru than an obstacle.

Margaery ran her fingers over her chin, thinking about it. "I don't know. That girl is _oblivious,_ so you'll have to give me time. Whatever it is would have to be really, _really_ big. We may even have to get in support from Renly and Loras; Brienne can be obnoxiously dense sometimes."

Given how wrong everything had gone with Cersei, Jaime was a little overwhelmed that Margaery was planning on actively helping him in his quest to woo Brienne, especially as she had wanted him for herself. "You'd help me?" asked Jaime, surprised at Margaery's generosity.

Margaery shrugged, before her grin grew predatorial once more. "If I can't have your perfect ass, I would only be too happy to help Brienne tap that. I can always go back to Jalabhar Xho, or even have a go on Daario Naharis from the Reprographics Department. You are not the be all and end all of men, Jaime."

Overwhelmed by her support, Jaime could only smile at Margaery gratefully. "Thank you so much," he said, relief flooding him that he might be on the cusp of getting some actual help in terms of wooing Brienne. "What do I do next?"

"We've got to brainstorm," said Margaery firmly, a plan forming behind her eyes. "And maybe... then... a little bit of espionage..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I would love to hear what you think :)


	5. Late Nights and Lamentations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after the night before, Student Brienne has to deal with her feelings towards Professor Jaime...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So this is the last chapter I currently have complete but am working on the next one. I hope you enjoy!

The morning after the party, Brienne woke up on her bed still dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, feeling really groggy. Although she had not drunk much, she was an incurable lightweight so had a headache and felt a bit queasy. It quickly became apparent that she had not suffered as much as her housemates, however. When she ventured out into the rest of the flat, she found Loras lying on the sofa in the lounge, dead to the world and still in his dress. Renly and Margaery were in the kitchen. He was sitting rather morosely at the table, drinking a coffee, while Margaery was pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

"Morning Opera Ghost," croaked Renly, before taking another sip of coffee.

"Morning," replied Brienne as she crossed to the bread bin to make herself some toast. "Has anyone actually checked if Loras is alive?"

Margaery nodded. "Yeah. I poked him earlier and he made an _urrggghh_ sound, so I assume he is still with us."

Brienne nodded as she retrieved her bread and popped it in the toaster. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Renly and Margaery exchange a surreptitious glance. It instantly made Brienne suspicious.

"What are you two smirking about?" she asked, looking from Margaery to Renly and back again.

"Did you hang around with Professor Dreamboat last night?" asked Renly, in something approaching a casual tone.

Even though she attempted to feign ignorance, Brienne's blush gave her away. "I don't know who you mean..."

"Don't play stupid," said Renly. "I'm talking about that sexy biology professor who came to the party and who looked _delectable_ without his shirt on."

Not wanting to talk about it, Brienne made a snorting sound in an attempt to ward them off. "Oh, do you mean Professor Lannister? Because he's not that hot."

"You know full well who I mean," smirked Renly, as Margaery came to sit by his side. "And you know full well how hot he is."

Brienne tried not to look at her honey-haired, beautiful friend as Renly laughed, because she did not want to hurt her. Margaery fancied Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- and, unlike Brienne, actually had a chance with him. Hells, she had even brought Jaime to the party as a _date_ last night, which was more than Brienne could say. Why wasn't Renly smirking at Margaery? She decided to tell him so.

"It was Margaery who brought him as a date last night. I'm just a disinterested third party. Maybe you should be asking her."

Margaery gave a shrug of the shoulders as she sat down at the table with her cereal, tucking in straight away. "Oh, Jaime and I decided it wasn't a date after all," she said through a mouth full of cornflakes.

Brienne's ears pricked up at once. "You did? Why?"

"He told me something interesting," replied Margaery, with a smirk that was reminiscent of Renly's.

"What?" asked Brienne, feeling far too invested in the answer to truly be a disinterested third party. "What did he say?"

"He told me that he only came to the party because he likes you and wants to spend time with you, Brienne."

Brienne nearly dropped her toast in shock.

"What?"

"You heard me," replied Margaery, her smile growing. "Jaime likes you and wants to turn your late night library sessions into something a little more... official."

Trying to hide her flabbergasted blush, Brienne bent down to pick up her toast. By the time she was back up at her full height, both Margaery and Renly were grinning at her like a bunch of naughty children.

"You are joking," she declared confidently once she saw their expressions. This was all part of some elaborate practical joke that Margaery and Renly had cooked up because... because... well, she didn't really know why, but the alternative was too unbelievable to contemplate.

"No, I'm not," said Margaery, swirling her spoon around in a bowl like a witch concocting a potion. "Jaime actually asked me to help find some way to impress you, because nothing he is doing seems to be working."

As Brienne put her toast back on her plate, her tongue felt so thick she could barely speak. She had never had a conversation like this in the whole of her life. When she was little and had gone to sleepovers, it was the other girls - _pretty_ girls - who had been the centre of the fleeting childish love stories. And then, once she was older, Brienne had become the shoulder to cry on; the big, hulking steady rock who other women went to sob about their boyfriends to. Brienne never had problems with men, because who would want Brienne? She was therefore the silent receptacle of other people's trauma and pain, without ever experiencing her own romantic joys. 

Although it came unnaturally to her, Brienne tried a dismissive laugh designed to wound. "How much did you drink last night, Margaery? Because you seem to have lost your mind."

"I've not lost my mind, I've..."

"Yes you have," replied Brienne, convinced that her friend must have it all wrong. "Because the idea that Jaime Lannister told you that he was into me and wanted your help to woo me is the most ridiculous, unbelievable thing I have ever heard in my life. In case you haven't noticed, he is gorgeous while I look like some creature from the deep."

Renly made a disgusted noise at the back of his throat. "Don't say that about yourself..."

"Why not? It is true!" shot back Brienne, feeling her anger rise. "Margaery was obviously drunk or high last night and didn't understand what Jaime was saying. He was probably trying to say that he was trying to work out how to woo her, or even his ex, Cersei. Maybe he's over fighting with her and wants to get back together. She is really beautiful, after all."

Margaery rolled her eyes. "Brienne, I was not drunk or high last night. I know what Jaime said, and it was that he is into you and has been trying to get your attention. The longer you deny it, the more you are just going to convince him that you are not interested."

"Maybe I'm not interested!" thundered Brienne, going red even as she said it. "Maybe I don't care about pretty boy professors who come to parties as the date of my best friend to try and get a rise out of me. Maybe I don't think he's that hot! Maybe I don't want him! Maybe I..."

"I think the lady protests too much," interrupted Renly, smirking at Margaery.

"And maybe the two of you are just trying to make fun of me!" she concluded, fed up with this whole conversation.

Margaery gazed at her imploringly. "Brienne, we're not..."

"Yes you are!" she said, a little too loudly for the morning after the night before. As Renly and Margaery both flinched, Brienne picked up the butter and knife and strode across the room. "You know what? I've had enough of this conversation. If either of you have anything sensible to say to me, I will be in my room."

"Brienne..."

Grabbing her toast, she made sure she was out of the room before either Renly or Margaery could object.

* * *

Although the slight disagreement in the kitchen was eventually solved with a round of apologies and a promise from Renly and Margaery to never mention their stupid Jaime Lannister conspiracy theories again, other issues were not so easily solvable. The most prominent of these issues was how Brienne would ever face Jaime again after their moment on the balcony at the party, especially since Renly and Margaery had sullied their entire relationship with unsubstantiated rumour.

If she had been any other girl, Brienne might have found a way to act naturally around him. However, she was awkward, socially anxious Brienne Tarth, so now she wanted nothing more than to run away from him and preferably never speak to him again.

That meant changing her position in the library during the late library sessions.

Without making a big fuss about it, Brienne stopped sitting in her favourite seat in the history section and moved to the quantum physics section in the basement. There was no air and poor lighting down there, and every time Brienne wanted a book pertinent to her thesis she had to climb four sets of stairs, but at least there was no chance that Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- would accidentally stumble upon her while looking for a book.

That arrangement worked well for a few uncomfortable days until, one evening, Brienne got a surprising text message.

 _Loras:_ Hey B, I might come and sit in the library with you, if that is okay?

Brienne sighed. She was reaching an important junction in her thesis and didn't really want distractions right now, especially from the one flatmate who wasn't even a student so had no reason to be in the library. He would probably try to talk to her.

 _Brienne:_ Why do you want to sit in the library? You haven't even got any work to do?

 _Loras:_ 🤷 Margaery and Renly are singing karaoke and it is making my ears bleed. Surely you will take pity on a friend in need?

Just about resisting banging her head on the table, Brienne suppressed the urge to loudly proclaim her need for peace and solitude and messaged him back.

 _Brienne:_ Fine. You can come sit with me.

 _Loras:_ Yay! Whereabouts are you sitting? I need the floor, the aisle, and the seat number.

Having not expected Loras to go all Inquisition on her, Brienne rolled her eyes. He was normally so much more casual than this.

 _Brienne:_ We don't have seat numbers, but I am down in the basement next to the section to do with black holes. See you soon.

Planning on having at least half an hour before Loras arrived - it would take him at least that long to extract himself from Margaery and Renly's karaoke session - Brienne settled down into her work. She had lots to research on ancient female warriors, and was thinking on doing a section on women of the North who had...

Less than two minutes after she had messaged Loras, the door of the basement swung upon to reveal the last person in the entire world that she wanted to see. Jai - _Professor Lannister_ \- came bowling into the room looking bright as the sun, an excited grin on his face.

"Brienne," he smiled, as he came to sit next to her. "There you are."

He said it as if he had been looking for her and as if he was excited to find her. Brienne had to use all her self-control to stop a scowl stretching across her face. After the discussion with Renly and Margaery, the fact that Jaime had intruded into her sanctuary with his handsome countenance and sly smile when she was trying to avoid him felt strangely cruel.

"Hello," she said stiffly, staring down at her book. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be up in your normal seat?"

Smiling, Jaime put his hand down on the table, meaning his arm was perfectly aligned alongside hers. She had to suppress a shiver as they touched. "I just had a feeling you might be down here, and I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"I missed you," he said, inching closer. "How do you expect me to work without my study buddy?"

She raised an eyebrow at him sceptically. "You are quite a renowned scholar, Professor Lannister. I doubt my presence helps anything. You achieved lots before you even met me."

"Oh, I promise it does improve things," Jaime said, refusing to move. "You are calming, and kind, and I love spending time with you. Being here in the library with you is the highlight of my week."

Brienne furrowed her brow. "I am sure you are exaggerating things..."

"I'm not," Jaime replied swiftly. "Most of my life is warring with Cersei over the house, so spending time with you reminds me that I can have good things happen to me too."

At the mention of Jaime's beautiful ex, Brienne looked back at her book, blushing profusely. It wasn't that she saw Cersei as competition, just that it was yet another reminder of how hopeless her cause was. She did look like a fricking model, after all.

"You were married to her for a long time though, weren't you? Surely you can't hate her that much."

Jaime's smile dimmed slightly. "I don't hate her, it's just... I'm so tired. I just want half of our assets, and I won't get that easily if Cersei refuses to enter into dialogue over our house. And even though she doesn't give a damn for our dogs, she is refusing to let me have them just because she wants to spite me. So I stay in the house because, if I don't, I'm indicating to the lawyers that I don't care. And I _do_ care, it's just... it is hell living with her, she makes my life a living hell... and you are my only respite."

As Jaime made his admission, he nudged Brienne's shoulder and forced her to look at him. When green met blue, she felt as if she had been hit by a bolt of lightning, because the depths of his gaze was so intense it almost took her breath away. Things only got worse when he reached out and took her hand, wasting no time in intertwining their fingers. For a moment, it seemed as if Jaime was leaning closer towards her, and Brienne's mind flashed with memories; their secret meetings in the library, their moment on the balcony at the party, and the conversation she had had with Margaery and Renly. Scared, panicking, and not sure what to do, Brienne pulled back and removed her hand from his, trying not to notice the way his smile faltered in the process.

"I'm sorry everything is so hard," she said, picking up her pen to stop him taking her hand again, "and that you can find some peace here in the library."

"With you," he added firmly.

She nodded. That was the only concession she would give him.

After that awkward encounter, Brienne found the only way to fend off whatever this conversation was about, was to focus on her work and try to concentrate on her thesis. It was a little difficult, as Jaime refused to move from her side, but he eventually started to do his own work. One or two times he interrupted her to ask mundane questions or tell her she had a bit of lint on her shoulder and brush it off for her. Once, he silently reached into his bag and produced a chocolate bar - her favourite chocolate bar - which he deposited onto her book to get her attention. When Brienne gazed at him confusedly, Jaime just winked at her, then went back to his work. Every time she took a bite of the chocolate, Jaime smiled as if he had won something.

Apart from that one strange interruption, Brienne managed to keep him at bay until around midnight, when she decided that she was getting tired and needed to go home. Standing up, Brienne began to gather her things together, only to discover Jaime looking up at her slightly disappointedly.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'm getting sleepy."

"Aww, poor Brienne. Do you want me to walk you home?"

Brienne stopped packing up her things to gaze at him confusedly. Men never offered to walk her anywhere, because she was a big, beefy woman who looked as if she did not need guarding while walking through the seedy part of town at night. Therefore, she was slightly disquieted by the offer, and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. There's a late night bus and, anyway, you live in the opposite direction."

"I still wouldn't mind... if you wanted me to."

She shook her head. "No, don't worry. It is fine. I can look after myself."

Brienne then returned to putting away her things in complete silence. Seemingly at a loss for what to do, Jaime got up and started copying her, putting away his few things as he continued to watch her.

"Brienne."

"Mmm?"

"What are you doing this weekend?"

She snapped her head up to look at him. "What do you mean?"

He gave her an easy smile. "I mean, what are you doing this weekend?"

At his question, a nervous feeling started pooling in the pit of her stomach. Excitement was an emotion Brienne distrusted, so anxiousness was the only response to this hinted opportunity now laid out before her. Any other reaction would leave her unprepared.

"Why?"

He took a deep breath. "I was just wondering what you were doing, that's all. The art house cinema over on Visenya's Hill is playing _The Sand Snakes_ , and I just wondered if you wanted to go with me? We could go out for dinner first - I know this _amazing_ Pentoshi place that does sharing platters that are to die for - and I would love to take you out. Just the two of us. What do you think?"

Although his question was the most ludicrous, out of place, ridiculous, unbelievable thing Brienne had ever heard in her life - was _he_ really asking _her_ out? - she found that his eyes were filled with such sincerity that it couldn't be a joke. Jaime wasn't like Connington or Hyle or all those other boys who had laughed at her and made her feel small. He was a man, and seemingly a man who knew what he wanted.

It terrified her to her core.

She agreed to go on a date with him, and then what? Would they go to some pretentious restaurant that he could afford and she couldn't, while she listened to him moan about his ex-wife, and then let him pay the entire bill as if he owned her? If yes, afterwards, Brienne would feel pressured to go back to his and let it move more quickly than what she was happy with, because he was beautiful and she was not, and it would feel like he was doing her a favour. Then, after he had taken her virginity, he would kick her out, tell her she was just a rebound and that he didn't want to see her anymore. She would feel like she was being used, would hate herself for her stupidity, and for the fact she dared to want him in the first place.

 _No,_ Brienne thought. _I have more dignity than that._

"I can't make this weekend," she lied, embellishing the truth somewhat. "My dad's in town and I am going to take him out for dinner."

"Well what about the following week?"

Brienne chewed her bottom lip. "I don't know... but I think I'm busy."

"You should check your diary."

"I don't have a diary."

"Then how do you know if you are busy?"

Jaime's expression was one filled with both amusement and a desire to see her bat back, but she had nothing to offer him but nervousness and anxiety. And what kind of man would want that? Certainly not one who already had a soured relationship under his belt, and whose ex-wife was the type of woman who was more a ball-breaker than a wilting flower. And especially not one who looked like Jaime. They liked confident girls who were comfortable in their sexuality and were flirty and pretty enough to hold a man's attention. Brienne was none of those things, so the fact he was even asking her scared her more than charming her.

"I'm sorry," she said gently, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Maybe some other time."

It didn't work, as his eyes suddenly went very sparkly before he looked down at the floor. "Oh yeah... sure. Whenever really... it's no big deal..."

Not really sure how to make this better, Brienne stuffed the last few of her belongings into her bag before turning away from him.

"I'll see you around, Professor Lannister."

"It's _Jaime_ ," he said, correcting her.

"I'll see you around, Jaime."

Although Jaime had a pained look on his face, Brienne was certain there was nothing she could do that would make this any better, so dashed out of the basement, her heart beating wildly. She only realised how small and cramped the room had been when she got into the corridor and managed to suck in a great gulp of air, even as her cheeks burnt brightly.

 _Why am I such an idiot?_ she asked herself as she raced out of the library at full pelt, trying to stop her fear overcoming her. _Why do I always manage to ruin things, even when they are_ nice _things? Nice things like Jaime?_

Not bothering to wait for the bus, Brienne did not stop running all the way home. She was so unused to the caring, easy way that Jaime was treating her that she found it strangely threatening and needed some space in order to process her thoughts. Therefore, she was thankful when she finally arrived back in her flat to find it serenely quiet. At first, it seemed a pleasant state of affairs, but it finally struck her as strange when she ventured into the lounge to find Loras asleep on the sofa, the TV still on, and a bowl of discarded crisps resting on his stomach. Seeing him there, Brienne suddenly realised that Loras should have come to the library to avoid Renly and Margaery, but he had never shown up at all.

Instead, Brienne had been confronted with Jaime.

Who had suspiciously known just where to find her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I would love to hear what you think of Brienne's decision in the comments!


	6. Late Nights with Lancel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime makes an important decision about his future...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this, I have been planning where to go with this story! I hope you enjoy :)

Jaime tried to pretend it didn't hurt, but it did.

He had put all his cards on the table, and Brienne had still run away from him. He wondered what he had done wrong. Had he moved too quickly? Had he suggested the wrong thing for a first date? Had he caught her at a moment when she was in a bad mood and not thinking clearly?

 _No,_ he thought sadly. _She just doesn't see me that way. I'm an old, soon-to-be divorced professor ten years her senior, and she is a cool interesting PhD student with her whole life ahead of her. Why would she be interested in me?_

Jaime was not used to being rejected, so was not prepared for how much it sucked. He had been with Cersei for most of his life but that had never stopped people throwing themselves at him. Every year at the staff Sevenmas party, Catelyn's drunk sister tried to pounce on him; one of his third year undergraduates, Pia, would never miss the chance to visit him during office hours and bat her eyelashes at him; and the office cleaner Hildy had actually asked him to come home with her once. Consequently, Jaime had been so sure that a nice smile and a feel of his abs would have Brienne all hot for him that her declining of a proper date had totally wrongfooted him.

 _I'm such an idiot,_ Jaime told himself. _I never had a hope in hell with her. She's far too good for the likes of me._

That it had all crashed and burned with Brienne meant that the one little spark of happiness in Jaime's life had been entirely extinguished. He stopped going to the library when he knew she would be there, as he did not want to impose where he wasn't wanted, but that meant spending more time back at the house. Cersei was always there with her lovers, determined to wear him down. Without the distraction of Brienne and her cute blush, it worked.

"Hey Tyrion," said Jaime down the phone one evening, trying to ignore the sounds that were coming from upstairs.

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Hey," said Tyrion groggily. "Why are you phoning this late?"

"FUCK YES LANCEL! OH _YES!_ "

"I'm being kept awake by Cersei banging Cousin Lancel upstairs."

Jaime could almost hear Tyrion rolling his eyes. "Did you _have_ to tell me that? I'm trying to sleep."

"If I have to suffer through it, you do too, little bro."

"FUCK ME! CERSEI! OH _OH OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"_

"No, actually, I don't," shot back Tyrion. "It is _you_ that is refusing to move out that house. It was bad enough when she was having orgies with the Kettleblack brothers, but now she's screwing your _own cousin_ so loudly that _I_ can hear it _?_ I would have been out of there months ago."

"HAAAARRRRDDDEEEERRRR!!"

Irritated with the amateur sex show going on upstairs, Jaime crossed the room and shut the lounge door, which only succeeded in somewhat muffling the sounds from upstairs.

"Believe me, Tyrion, I am slowly coming around to your way of thinking. It is just that if I move out, I'll have to rent somewhere for a while until the divorce comes through, and any place I rent won't be great for the dogs..."

"Maybe you should let Cersei have them for a while," began Tyrion, but Jaime cut him off at once.

"If I let Cersei have Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen, I might not be able to get them back. You know how difficult the divorce process has been..."

"YOU ARE A MUCH BETTER FUCK THAN THAT SHIT OF AN EX-HUSBAND OF MINE, LANCEL! OOOOHHHH YES!"

Tyrion sighed, and Jaime could hear the pity in his tone. "I know, Jaime, I know, but I don't think it is good for your mental health for you to stay in that house. It is full of bad memories, and Cersei is still there. Surely it would be better if you could find somewhere else, just so you didn't have to listen to Cersei's sex shows and could at least sleep at night. And also, in the privacy of your own flat, you could find someone to do your _own_ sex shows with."

Jaime's mind fleetingly went to Brienne. He couldn't help but wonder if it was the divorce that had put her off. If he had his own space where the two of them could "hang out", she perhaps would have been more receptive to coming on a date with him. Maybe she felt awkward about bringing him back to her place, considering she shared with a fairly small space with three people. Maybe she wanted to feel like an adult, but at the same time not date a mess like him.

"I guess you are right," said Jaime, exhaling dramatically. "This whole thing with Cersei is just exhausting, and it could be months until the divorce is made official, especially since she thinks I owe her money."

"Do you owe her money?"

"No!" insisted Jaime indignantly. "She just thinks I should be paying her a maintenance grant forever more, even though we don't have children and won't be married soon!"

"Then you have to move out. Staying any longer will mean you are just letting her continue to rule and ruin your life. I know it will be tough, Jaime, but it will eventually be for the greater good."

Jaime knew Tyrion was right, so decided to do something about it.

In the coming days, he began looking for somewhere to live and quickly lucked out in finding a fairly cheap, but nice, flat on the other side of town. Its owner - a man named Bronn Blackwater - was going to Dorne for six months, so was looking for someone to rent his King's Landing apartment for six months. As Jaime hoped his monetary situation would be much more stable by then in light of the divorce, he agreed to take up Bronn's offer, believing that it would serve as a good stop-gap until he could properly move on with his life. He made sure to get some advice from his lawyer on the situation, but it was not what Jaime had been expecting to hear.

"Don't take the dogs," Addam Marbrand said firmly down the phone.

"What?" replied Jaime, baffled. "But they are _my_ dogs, they are..."

"I know, but if you take the dogs and don't stay in the house, Cersei's lawyers will declare that you've forfeited the right to the house and effectively abandoned her, considering that she doesn't even _want_ this divorce. They'll try and argue the dogs are enough and a fair split of your assets."

"Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are not _assets,_ they are..."

"Dogs, I know," replied Marbrand, "but we do not need to give Cersei anymore ammunition. She is already trying to make it difficult for you to get away; don't make it easier for her."

Consequently, Jaime reluctantly found himself having to say goodbye to his beloved dogs and leave the house with only a suitcase of some of his belongings. _It creates better optics if you look like you are fleeing,_ Addam had told him, but Jaime was unsure as if there was much of a line between performance and actuality.

"You are really going then?" said Cersei, appearing with Lancel at the bottom of the stairs just as Jaime opened the front door.

Jaime nodded stiffly, refusing to look at either his ex-wife or her shirtless lover. "Yes. I don't want to be here anymore."

"Look at that Lancel; pathetic Jaime, always running away," she sneered.

Lancel laughed, as if on cue.

Knowing that she was trying to rile him, Jaime took a few seconds to compose himself, before replying. 

"I'm not staying, Cers, and that's final."

At his statement of intent, Cersei's expression turned stormy. Stepping forward, she fixed Jaime with a harsh expression that was almost excoriating enough to peel his skin off.

"You would abandon Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen?" she asked, her tone poisonous. "If you would, that makes you a terrible person, a terrible--"

He left before he had to listen to anymore of her abuse.

* * *

Jaime's new flat was nice - better than being caged with Cersei, for certain - but cold. All the walls were painted white and there was an empty minimalism about the place, and the only view from his window was the tower block car park outside. It was not home. He missed his familiar creature comforts; the four different blankets he could pile on his bed when he got cold, the calming picture of boats that dominated the lounge, and his dogs.

Gods, Jaime missed his dogs.

Tommen was a cuddly puppy who always liked to sit on Jaime's lap when he was watching TV, while Myrcella was playful and loved fetch. Joffrey could be aggressive to those he didn't know, but he liked Jaime well enough, and would often sneak up onto the sofa and snuggle up to his owner when he thought he wasn't looking. That he had been forced to leave them made Jaime's heart hurt, but he did not yet feel in a position where he could go and recover them.

 _I have to get them away from Cersei,_ he thought. _But how?_

Given their absence, Jaime's new flat felt so lonely so, in spite of himself, he started going back to the library. Since the whole Brienne debacle, Jaime did not really _want_ to go to the library, but at least there was a little human warmth there that he wasn't going to get in his cold flat. As he was a creature of habit, he often returned to his old seat in the history section, but luckily never saw Brienne there. What would he even say to her, after all?

_Hi Brienne, sorry I have an awkward crush on you that you don't reciprocate._

_Hi Brienne, can we just pretend I wasn't an idiot who read what was going on between us wrong?_

_Hi Brienne, I... I... don't really know what to say._

The library was quiet and cold which, while not being _comfortable,_ it was at least the perfect atmosphere to do some marking. Given all the chaos in his personal life recently, he was little behind on his third years' lab reports, but in the silence of the library, Jaime felt he was getting on top of things in a way he hadn't for weeks, and managed to hit a stride in which...

The door opened. It was Brienne.

On spotting him, her big blue eyes went very wide, but to his surprise she did not retreat from the room. Instead, she gave him a tiny smile that would have been imperceptible if he did not know her, before going to sit in her normal seat behind him. Jaime exhaled. Her mere presence always had the ability to send his senses haywire, and this time was no different, so he tried to distract himself by marking.

 _Josmyn Peckledon's arguments are nuanced,_ Jaime thought as he stared at his third year's almost illegible writing, _but his_ _structure is very..._

He wondered whether Brienne was looking at him. If he focussed, Jaime believed he could feel her eyes burning into his back, running over the lines of his body. Part of him wanted to turn his head and peer back at her, to check he wasn't imagining things. Yet, in the end, he didn't, because he refused to make things weirder than they already were.

Consequently, the two of them sat in a strange silence for several hours. Brienne made hardly any noise, apart from the occasional tap of her pen on the spine of her notepad and the infrequent sigh. Jaime tried to concentrate on his marking, but kept finding himself spiralling off into elaborate daydreams about turning around and telling Brienne he was sorry, that he was just a total fuck up, that if she would just let him kiss her, he would prove they were perfect for each other...

His phone rang. It was Cersei.

"Cersei," he hissed down the phone, angrily. "Why are you phoning me?"

Her voice was slurring as she answered. "Lancel is here."

"And?"

She laughed cruelly. "Aren't you jealous?"

"No," Jaime replied, desperately trying to keep his voice low because he knew Brienne was near. "Why would I be jealous?"

"Because Lancel and I are going to fuck in our marital bed, Jaime, with your precious dogs listening downstairs."

At the mention of the dogs, a cloud descended over Jaime's mood. "Have you fed them, Cers? Looked after them? Because they are not _things_ for you to play with. They are..."

"I might have looked after them," said Cersei and Jaime could almost hear her smirk. "I might not have, and you have moved out so you will be none the wiser."

Jaime's blood ran cold. "If you hurt them..."

"You'll do what? If you return to _my_ property to collect the dogs, I will go to the police _at once_ to accuse you of breaking and entering."

"You wouldn't be so cruel," Jaime said firmly. It was more a hope than a belief.

Cersei laughed again, sharp enough to cut. "You are quite right. I wouldn't... not if you came back to me."

"You must be joking," began Jaime, but Cersei interrupted, talking over him as if he owed her his silence. "I'm not coming back to you, Cers, how many times? You _cheated_ on me. I thought you loved me, that you were loyal to me..."

"I _do_ ," she said, in a sweet sounding lie. "We were good together, don't you remember? Do you remember how we snuck away to that hotel on Weasel Alley and we spent that whole night together? I made you forget everything that mattered... everything other than me."

Jaime did remember. When he had been young and foolish, he would have done anything for Cersei; given up his father's ambitions for him, refused to date someone more acceptable, give her nights full of oral sex and expect nothing in return. Passion had once been the most important thing, and therefore what he had with Cersei had made him happy. As he grew older, though, Jaime had learnt that trust and companionship were also important, and he had _never_ had either with Cersei. And then he had found out about the cheating, and the whole thing had lost its shine.

"There are more important things than sex; fidelity, companionship, true connection. I thought we had all those things, but we didn't, because you were somebody that you weren't. I was in love with a mirage and now I am _free._ Let me be free."

He stole a glance at Brienne, only to discover she had her nose firmly in her books. Although he suspected her cheeks were slightly flushed, he did not have the time to inspect that theory properly, as Cersei was growling down the phone at him.

" _Never."_

Then she hung up, leaving Jaime only with a burning frustration that caused him to slam his phone down on the desk then bury his face in his hands. He tried to regulate his breathing in order to stay calm, but he found that angry little tears began to well in his eyes when he thought about his dogs and how difficult it would be to get them back.

 _I'm so stupid,_ he told himself viciously. _I left them with her, I..._

A cool hand touched his shoulder, almost making him jump out of his skin. Turning around he saw it was Brienne, wearing a slightly hesitant expression. When he did not say anything, she slid into the seat beside him, not taking her hand from his shoulder. It was strangely comforting.

"Are you okay, Jaime?"

Gazing into her sea blue eyes, he thought about lying, but he saw such an arresting honesty and lack of guile that all attempt at pretence melted away.

"No Brienne, I'm not."

And before he could stop himself, he was pouring everything out to her; his hopes, his fears, his darkness.

"I know it's stupid, but Cersei has my dogs and she's using them against me in an attempt to get me to stay with her. She thinks if she dangles them in front of me, like bait, I will call this whole divorce thing off and come back to her. She thinks we can get over the cheating but... we _can't._ I'm not in love with her anymore; in fact, I don't think I _ever_ loved her. I was love with the idea of her, but that was shattered when I realised that there was no loyalty there, or genuine friendship. And now I've had to leave my house and she's taken my dogs... and I don't know what to do, Brienne. I just don't know."

Expecting sweet words or encouragement, Jaime was entirely surprised when Brienne slid her hand off his shoulder and down his arm, then intertwined their fingers. The tenderness of the gesture made the breath catch in his throat.

"We'll think of something," she said gently, running her thumb over his.

Jaime swallowed heavily. "We?"

She broke eye contact with him and looked at their joined hands. "If you want my help..."

"I do," he insisted, lifting his free hand to tilt her chin up at him so she was looking at him once more. "It's just... I thought you didn't like me."

Brienne's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair line. "Don't like you? Why would you think that?"

"Because... because..." he stammered, stumbling over his words. "I thought you were angry with me because I read the situation between us wrong."

At that statement, Brienne's blue eyes grew larger, almost encompassing the entire world. Jaime had to use all his strength not to cup her face in his hand.

Her voice was timid when she replied. "I'm not angry with you, I'm just..."

Emotion cut off whatever she was going to say.

"What Brienne?" he asked, tilting his head to catch her eye once more. "What?"

She exhaled slowly. "I'm _shy_ , Jaime. And this is all going a little fast for me."

"What is?"

Brienne swallowed. "Us."

Coming from her lips, that word was heavy and meaningful.

"There is an _us_ then?" Jaime asked, suddenly excited whereas moments before he had been sad.

At his question, Brienne seemed to be hovering on saying something as she scrutinised his face, searching for something he could not name. Perhaps it was comfort, perhaps security, so he tried to demonstrate he could give it to her by squeezing her fingers. The corners of her mouth turned up in an almost smile.

"Maybe," she said quietly, "but first... we should probably work out how to get your dogs back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I would love to hear what you think x


	7. Late Nights and Litigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne helps Jaime get his dogs back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter has been a while. Life is a rollercoaster, to quote Ronan Keating.
> 
> And is there a Legally Blonde reference in this chapter? Why, yes there is!

Brienne had not gone to the library intending to talk to Jaime; in fact she had decided to keep her distance.

Although she knew Jaime was a good man and she liked him very much, Brienne had decided that it would just be best if they pretended nothing had happened between them. He was a successful handsome professional ten years her senior, after all, and she was just... nobody. It would be easier to let it all just slip away, so she did not have to face the fear that she now associated him with.

A fear shaped by the fact he might actually want her.

Her decision to therefore walk across the library and take his hand had been entirely spontaneous, born of the sympathy that had bloomed when she heard him speaking to his ex-wife, who - even though her words were muffled - sounded a bitch of the highest order.

"Cersei, why are you phoning me?"

_Indistinct chatter._

"And?"

_Tripping laughter._

"No, why would I be jealous?"

Brienne imagined that Cersei had said something cruel given the way a storm seemed to rise in Jaime's eyes. "Have you fed them, Cers? Looked after them? Because they are not _things_ for you to play with. They are..."

She wondered if they were talking about Jaime's dogs.

"If you hurt them..."

_Indistinct chatter._

"You wouldn't be so cruel."

_More laughter._

"You must be joking... I'm not coming back to you, Cers, how many times? You _cheated_ on me. I thought you loved me, that you were loyal to me... There are more important things than sex; fidelity, companionship, true connection. I thought we had all those things, but we didn't, because you were somebody that you weren't. I was in love with a mirage and now I am _free._ Let me be free."

Brienne fixed her eyes on her books, not really wanting to hear, but her heart was dancing in her chest. Could it be true? Could a man like Jaime really want more than sex?

_Could he want things that I could give him?_

Lost in daydreams, Brienne only realised that he had hung up on Cersei when she heard him slam the phone down on the desk, his face red with anger and something else. Although Brienne could only see the right side of Jaime's face from where she was sitting, she wondered if he was crying. That thought was so disturbing that Brienne was up on her feet before she could think, striding across the room to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder. When she took a seat beside him and he looked at her, soft and vulnerable, her entire resistance to him and the fear of their relationship crumbled.

"Are you okay, Jaime?"

His eyes were so green that she thought she had found emeralds. At her question, he crumbled too.

"No Brienne, I'm not. I know it's stupid, but Cersei has my dogs and she's using them against me in an attempt to get me to stay with her. She thinks if she dangles them in front of me, like bait, I will call this whole divorce thing off and come back to her. She thinks we can get over the cheating but... we _can't._ I'm not in love with her anymore; in fact, I don't think I ever loved her. I was love with the idea of her, but that was shattered when I realised that there was no loyalty there, or genuine friendship. And now I've had to leave my house and she's taken my dogs... and I don't know what to do, Brienne. I just don't know."

She wanted to hug him, to wrap him in her arms and tell him that everything was going to be alright if they just sat down and thought about it. Unfortunately, there was still something stopping her - some mental wall she could not break through - so instead, she reached out and took his hand.

"We'll think of something."

At her touch, a softness came back into Jaime's expression. "We?"

"If you want my help..." she said, her words almost stuck in her throat.

In response to her hesitancy, he lifted his free hand to tilt her chin up so she was looking at him once again. "It's just... I thought you didn't like me."

"Don't like you?" Brienne asked, dumfounded. "Why would you think that?"

He seemed lost for words. "Because... because... I thought you were angry with me because I read the situation between us wrong."

At that confession, Brienne's heart began to ache. She had been so lost in fear and self-loathing that she had made him think badly of herself. It was too much and made her instantly regretful and emotional.

"I'm not angry with you, I'm just..."

She choked on uncried tears.

His eyes were luminescent in expectation. "What Brienne? What?"

"I'm _shy_ , Jaime," she admitted, the confession horrible, embarrassing, but also strangely liberating. "And this is all going a little fast for me."

"What is?"

The answer was strangely short given that it weighed so heavily on her heart.

"Us."

Jaime blinked in shock, before melting.

"There is an _us_ then?"

It took even more strength to answer him.

"Maybe," she said, and he smiled so brightly it was as if the sun had finally appeared from behind a cloud on a rainy day, "but first... we should probably work out how to get your dogs back."

* * *

Coming up with a plan to get Jaime's dogs back was hard given how worried he was that Cersei would use them as weapons against him.

"You don't know what she is like," he said, as Brienne sat with him in the library trying to formulate ideas. "She will twist you up and turn you upside down, until you don't know what is real anymore... until you are questioning your own memories of events..."

She took his hand. He blushed.

"We will find a way, I promise."

In spite of the oath, Brienne could not help but doubt herself when she and Jaime sat outside his old house in his car, watching for any sign of life within. Jaime looked nervous and kept running his hands over his thighs. Brienne couldn't stop looking.

"We weren't great at coming up with a full proof plan, were we?" he said, a lopsided half-smile stretching across his face.

Brienne shook her head. "No, but maybe this is for the best. This way, there is no cheating or dirty tricks; instead, you are just laying out what you want. You are no longer her pawn, Jaime, and that means you can have your own thoughts, opinions, and wants and express them, even to Cersei. You can do this."

"Can I?"

" _Yes,"_ said Brienne, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I believe in you. You want your dogs back; go get them."

After one final self-indulgent sigh, Jaime did.

Brienne watched with bated breath as Jaime walked up to his old house, the house he shared with Cersei. When they had pulled up in front of the building, Brienne had been struck both by its palatial grandeur and minimalist wonder. She had wondered whether that was more Cersei's influence or Jaime's.

She got something approaching an answer when Jaime finally arrived at the front door and tentatively knocked. He then looked back over his shoulder for support. Not really knowing what to do, Brienne gave him a thumbs up. As his expression flickered with nervous, she wondered if she should have blown him a kiss. However, Brienne was seriously glad she didn't when the front door opened, and the most terrifyingly beautiful woman she had ever seen appeared.

From the mild social media stalking of Jaime's ex Brienne had conducted, she knew that Cersei was inhumanly beautiful. In real life, it was even worse; her tresses of blonde hair seemed to be spun gold, and her deep green eyes like cracked emeralds. For a fleeting second, Brienne would have not condemned Jaime for returning to his estranged wife based on her beauty alone.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cersei, her voice cold and cutting. "I'm in the middle of eating lunch."

Jaime took a deep breath. "I just... wanted..."

"Wanted me back?" she said with a laugh. "Oh Jaime, I knew you'd come around eventually."

"It is not that..."

"Then what is it?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you here to show me what I'm _not_ missing?"

"Well... I..."

From inside the house came the sounds of three excited dogs, barking on hearing the voice of their master outside. The responding pained look from Jaime was felt like a short, sharp punch in Brienne's stomach and, before she could stop herself, she was scrambling from the car towards the house.

Cersei looked less than impressed.

"Who are you?" she asked, her lip rising into an aggressive curl.

"I am Jaime's moral support," said Brienne, standing up to her full height. Beside her, Jaime shot her a surprised look, his cheeks matching in a flush. Partly to sooth him and partly to seek comfort, she reached out and took his hand. It was surprisingly easier than it had been in the library.

Cersei eyed their joined hands with mounting comprehension. "I think you are offering him more than _moral support."_

"Jaime is here to speak to you," Brienne announced firmly, cutting through Cersei's attempt at making her feel small. "And you are going to listen to what he has to say."

At that statement, Cersei's eyes lit up in amusement and she raised one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows at Jaime. "Oh, am I? And what is so important that Jaime needs moral support in order to speak to his own wife?"

Even though this was the first time Brienne had ever met Cersei, she could instantly sense the cruel, calculating manoeuvring she would have counted as her chief hobby. It was in the way she eyed Jaime - as if he were nothing more than a delectable piece of steak she was about to consume - in which Brienne could see Cersei's true darkness.

As the silence bloomed, Brienne knew she could not leave Jaime to suffer, so squeezed his fingers. "Tell her, Jaime. Tell her why you are here."

Then they waited. Brienne hung in suspense, hoping he would say _something,_ while Cersei tilted her head to her side, her hands on her hips. Although Jaime was not saying anything, Brienne could see the way he was replaying the entirety of his marriage with Cersei in his mind; the wedding, the happiness, the poison, the cheating, the love. That long thread of emotion - coiled, tort, and tightly wound - snapped the second Jaime opened his mouth.

"I'm taking the dogs... DUMBASS!"

Cersei's mouth dropped open in surprise as Jaime shoved past her, pulling Brienne in behind him. She barely had time to admire the beautiful house that used to be Jaime's, as she was distracted by the sound of three very excited beagles scratching against the kitchen door. As Cersei came running up the hallway behind him, loudly declaring he could not just come barging in, Jaime purposefully _barged_ open the kitchen door and three excitable beagles mobbed him.

"This is Tommen," he said, scooping up the smallest of the beagles and putting him in Brienne's arms. Tommen instantly started wiggling around and licking her face, so Brienne rocked him to try and get him to calm down. Jaime just smiled. "Ohh, he seems to like you!"

"He does, doesn't he?" replied Brienne, as Jaime scooped up the other two dogs. "He's a happy little boy."

"He won't be for much longer if you two kidnap him!" shouted Cersei, looking like Medusa as she came thundering into the kitchen. "This is not fair! You can't just take things that are not yours when it hasn't been decided by our lawyers..."

Jaime rolled his eyes. "Firstly, Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are not _things,_ they are dogs, and secondly, _you've kept the house._ I'll quibble over the small print with you when in the presence of our solicitors, Cersei, but for now I am taking my dogs. Ciao."

Brienne was too busy laughing at the thoroughly disrespectful _ciao_ to be intimidated by Cersei's shriek of annoyance, and she found herself chasing after Jaime as he fled with his beloved dogs.

"Wait!" she giggled, skidding down the hall. "Don't we need their food? Their beds? Their toys?"

"We'll pick up some from the pet shop on the way back to mine," called Jaime as he propelled himself out the front door.

"COME BACK!" cried Cersei furiously.

Brienne looked over her shoulder, catching Jaime's ex's eye. "No. He told you; you get the house, he gets the dogs, at least until you've sorted it out with the solicitors."

"But..."

In spite of her protests, Brienne did not want to listen anymore. Instead, she sped after Jaime, climbing into the car behind him. The dogs were excitable, making it difficult to be able to talk to Jaime over the woofing and the tail wagging. Yet Brienne hardly cared, because Jaime looked so happy her heart was melting.

"You did it, Brienne," he said happily, as he tried to persuade the excitable pups into the back of the car. "You got my dogs back for me."

A lump of emotion caught as she gazed at his luminescent joy. "I didn't get them back, _you did._ You stood up to Cersei... and called her a dumbass. And now you can take your dogs home."

In his excitement, Jaime bundled her into his arms, and Brienne found herself pressed against his warm, strong body. She didn't really know what to do, other than loosely wrap her arms around his shoulders and hope that was enough. They stayed like that for a few moments, until Jaime pulled back and looked into her eyes. Brienne could see the heat in his gaze, the longing, and part of her was drawn towards it like a magnet. The other part of her, the more dominant part, was still fearful.

She edged away, letting go of him as she did so.

Jaime's eyes flickered with an emotion she could not read before he spoke. "Come with me."

The request escaped his lips as a sigh.

Brienne's heart began to beat. "I... what?"

"Come to my flat," he said, this time more confidently. "We could just hang out... with the dogs, of course."

Overcome by their recent victory, Brienne found herself nodding, even as her stomach roiled nervously.

"Great, that would be fun."

Jaime's smile grew even brighter.

* * *

It only took a few hours before Brienne's heart was so full that she wanted to sing. After stopping at the pet shop to get the pups some food and a new bed, Jaime took her back to his flat.

"I'm sorry it is so bare," he had said, the second they walked through the door. "I haven't had the chance to make it homely yet."

"No worries, I understand," she said, putting Tommen down on the floor.

She had thought it would be a little difficult to spend time with Jaime in his own territory, but the dogs made a comforting buffer as they skittered around the house. Brienne managed to coax Tommen and Myrcella into a game with one of the balls they had bought, while Joffrey sat disinterestedly on Jaime's lap.

"It's not you, it is him," smiled Jaime. "He's always been a little anti-social."

After playing with the dogs for a while, Jaime somehow persuaded Brienne to go halves on a takeaway with him. They settled on Pentoshi, and then found themselves drowning in noodles as they sat on the sofa together, just talking about everything and anything. Maybe it was the wine they had drunk with their dinner, but Brienne felt relaxed and comfortable, enough that when Jaime suggested they watched a film together, she acquiesced to the proposal that she rest her head on the pillow he put on his lap. At first, it was a little awkward, because Jaime insisted on stroking her hair and Brienne did not know how to react to that. She began by lying there a little uncomfortably, but soon the lilting pull of his fingers curling patterns in her hair made her relax into him.

 _Mmm,_ she thought, lifting one hand to rest it on his knee, just to show how much she appreciated the attention. _It feels so good..._

"We can't," cried the Wolf Princess in the movie they were watching, tearing down the corridor of some ancient castle.

The Dragon Prince chased behind her. "Why? We are perfect for each other, you and I."

"Yes, but that hardly matters!"

"What makes you come to that conclusion?" snapped the Dragon Prince, irritation in his eyes.

The Wolf Princess pouted. "I... I... I... am _scared..._ of what you and I mean."

"Are you scared, Brienne?"

It took Brienne a few seconds to realise that it was not the Dragon Prince who had spoken, but Jaime, peering down at her with those beautiful green eyes of his. She turned her head to look at him and found that his expression was full of concern.

"What are you talking about?" she managed to stammer, finding the topic of conversation uncomfortable and unfamiliar.

"You and me," he replied. "You said there is an _us_ and that we are going to fast... are you scared? We haven't even kissed."

The thought of kissing Jaime made Brienne blush so hard that she almost had a head rush. Jaime sensed that reaction, but did not mock or deride her for it, but just continued to play with her hair in a soothing gesture while Joffrey snored from the other side of the room.

He brushed the hair out of her eyes, then looped his fingers through it and began to draw it into curls. "What are you scared of?" he asked, his voice breathless. "Me?"

"No, not you."

"Then what?"

Brienne took a breath. It was hard to talk about her past - she had not even done it with Margaery - so to unburden herself to a guy like Jaime, a guy she _wanted,_ was tremendously difficult. However, Brienne dug around in the centre for herself to find her courage, took a deep breath, and forced herself through the fear. It helped that he was stroking her face.

"When I was doing my masters at Bitterbridge, there was this group of guys; Ron Connington, Hyle Hunt, Ben Bushey, Ed Ambrose, and Mark Mullendore." Their names were a kind of strange litany. "As I was doing a medieval studies qualification, there weren't that many people on the course, it was just me and them really."

Jaime furrowed his brows. "I bet that was tough, being the only woman in a group of men."

"It was," Brienne admitted, "but I wasn't there to make friends, I was there to get my degree. So I put my head down and worked and tried to be polite to everyone. At first, they largely left me on my own. I was quiet and wasn't interested in anything else other than my work. I think that it annoyed them, in a way, that I wasn't fawning over them."

Jaime made a scoffing sound. "That is a bit egotistical of them."

"Ron Connington in particular," she replied, remembering his unpleasant, scowling face and his bright red hair. "He thought he was the gods' gift to women, and any woman who didn't see it... well, he didn't like that."

There was a moment of silence in which the pain of what had happened danced across Brienne's face, and she could see that Jaime had noticed it. In response, he gave her a weak smile, then ran his hand down her cheek in a tender caress. Brienne found it hard not to shiver with want.

"What did he do, Brienne?" asked Jaime, his eyes filled with concern.

"He started a bet."

Jaime looked at her confusedly. "A bet?"

"Yes, with all the other boys on my course. They had a bet over who could take my virginity... because they believed I was a virgin."

An awkward expression crossed his face at the mention of her virginity, and Brienne was momentarily worried that the thought she was inexperienced would put him off. That fear only increased when he asked, "I know it's none of my business... but was it true?... You don't have to answer, of course, if you don't..."

"I was a virgin," said Brienne, the admittance weighing heavily on her chest, "I still _am_ a virgin, yet that doesn't seem the issue for me..."

"Of course not," injected Jaime, his fingers moving in soothing circles on her cheek once more. "Whatever you do in your sex life is your own business."

Brienne tried to ignore how flushed Jaime got as he stumbled over the phrase _your sex life_ , and instead focussed on her story. "Connington and the others did not seem to think so, though. They bet on me because they thought it would be funny to use me as a joke, even though I had never done anything to them. And more fool me, I fell for it."

"Oh, sweetling," he whispered, as Brienne began her story.

"They all started being sweet to me," she said hesitantly, remembering their cruel kindness with vivid clarity. "Hyle Hunt started talking to me about medieval fighting women. Mark Mullendore used to bring me chocolates and sweets to eat under the desk. And Ron... he told me he liked my eyes, and that they are very blue."

"In that he wasn't lying," said Jaime. "You do have astonishing eyes."

Brienne looked down at her hands, unable to take the compliment. "I know you are trying to be kind, but it truly was a lie. Connington was just trying to wrap me around his finger, to make me feel special and appreciated. And it worked, because I agreed to go to that stupid party with him."

"What stupid party?" asked Jaime gently.

"The one Mark held for his birthday," said Brienne distantly, the memory bobbing to the surface of her mind. "I thought it was a _date_ \- foolish really - especially as I had heard him talking lecherously about one of the GTAs two days before the party... but I wanted it to be true, you know? I'm not pretty, I know that, so the thought that someone could see past all that and like the real me was quite intoxicating."

"Oh, Brienne..." Jaime began, but Brienne shook her head. She could not bear platitudes or pity.

"We got to the party and I had put on this blue dress that I thought made me look _okay._ Ron was nice all evening, so I thought maybe he believed that too, until he took me onto the dance floor during slow dances. We were right in front of everybody and then he leant in and kissed me. It wasn't the best kiss ever, but it was my _first_ kiss, so I was set on treasuring it forever... but then he stepped back, laughed, and said _that is all you are ever getting from me._ I then realised that the other guys in my class had taken photos of the kiss, and that it had all been a set up. Ron spent the rest of the party collecting his winnings."

Brienne only realised she was crying when Jaime brought his hand to her face and wiped her tears away. "I'm so sorry, Brienne, that sounds so awful, that must have been..."

Suddenly, Brienne realised she did not want Jaime's comfort. She was a strong person who didn't want to appear weak and feeble in front of him, a man she _liked._

 _Gods, I've basically just told him how unattractive I am,_ thought Brienne as she sat up. _Why am I such an idiot? Why...?_

"Brienne?"

"What?" she asked, feeling her temper rise along with her tears.

Jaime caught her wrist, holding her fast to him. Her heart skipped a beat.

"That was a horrible thing that happened to you," he said gently, evidently carefully picking out his words, "but I am not Connington, and if we ever have a first kiss, I will treasure it always. And the second, and the third... and any more after that."

The tears were still pouring down her cheeks. "Jaime..."

"Come here," he said softly, opening his arms. "You look like you could do with a hug."

And after that, they quite forgot the film, and Brienne spent the rest of the evening letting Jaime hold her. He mumbled sweet things into her hair, and she just clung onto him, as if he was the last bulwark against a flood. She did not realise it was possible to feel so happy and so heartsore at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! As ever, I would love to hear from you in a comment or kudos :)


	8. Late Nights and Lights Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After growing closer, Jaime and Brienne have to navigate a new phase of their relationship...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry I've been MIA for the last few days, I went away for a night and I am just finding writing a lot harder atm. I am back now, though, so I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Warning: Jaime's thoughts get a little porny in this chapter, so we are finally at the point where this fic deserves its "E" rating!

After Brienne exposed her heart to Jaime, it rapidly became clear that although they weren't _together_ , they weren't _not together_ either.

Most days, Jaime found himself around Brienne's flat, or she came to his. Often, they would cook together and talk about their work; her thesis and his latest article, her conferences and his students. They would discuss more intimate things too - their friends, their families, and their lives - and Jaime treasured each new detail he learnt about Brienne. Once the conversation had drifted on for too long, they would retreat to bed and curl up together, binging the latest boxset that Brienne was raving about. At first, they had always laid on top of the covers, him putting an arm around her shoulders while she sat stiffly beside him. After a few days, however, that proved too limiting and they retreated underneath the duvet together. They tried a couple of positions, but Jaime quickly discovered that Brienne liked to rest her head on his chest, while he wrapped his arms around her and played with her hair. Soon, she had a pair of pyjamas at his flat, and he an old t-shirt and slacks at hers. In the mornings, they would talk about their day together, as if they were actually a couple. Jaime found it so sweet that he was willing to wait, willing to take it slow.

"Good morning," he mumbled into her shoulder, soon after they woke up in her bed. She smelt so good and felt so soft, that he had to resist pursing his lips into a kiss against her clavicle. Brienne rolled to face him fully from within the circle of his arms, and her face was so near to his that he found it a little difficult to not press his mouth against hers.

"Good morning," she replied, her voice sweet as honey, "how are you?

"Good."

In fact, he was _very_ good. The previous evening, after the dogs were tucked up, Jaime had come around to visit Brienne. Without much preamble (apart from a few pointed looks from Margaery, who they passed in the hallway), they had retreated to Brienne's bedroom and they had put the latest episode of _The Young High Sparrow_ on. Burrowing under the covers, Jaime had pulled Brienne close, luxuriating in the way she had just relaxed into him, as if she trusted him. It had been so warm and good that Jaime did not notice the moment he stopped focussing on the boxset and started to fall to sleep in her arms...

"I didn't realise you snore," Brienne said, the corners of her mouth turning up in a nervous smile.

Jaime raising an eyebrow teasingly. " _Do_ I snore?"

"Well," she began slowly, "it is more a snuffle than a snore... but I like it, so you don't need to worry."

She was smiling at him so sweetly that Jaime was having to resist drawing closer to her and kissing her passionately.

 _No,_ he reminded himself, _let her come to you._

"I should probably think about getting up," he said reluctantly. "I need to go home and feed my dogs before class."

"Will you stay for breakfast? We've got toast and cereal."

"Ooooh! Exciting!"

She wrinkled her nose. "Don't tease."

"Why? You like it?" he batted back.

Brienne was still smiling when she and Jaime made their way to the flat's little kitchen, which was already occupied by Margaery, Renly, and Loras. While the room had initially been filled with lively chatter, Brienne's three flatmates stopped talking the instant the two of them entered the room.

"Well that wasn't sinister _at all,"_ said Brienne, as she went over to the cupboard to retrieve the cereal. Margaery, Renly, and Loras looked suitably contrite. "No need to ask what you three were talking about."

Jaime smiled as he sat down at the table next to Loras, while Brienne's housemates just looked at each other nervously.

"Do you want some cereal, Jaime?" asked Brienne, pulling out some of the options. "We have Cornflakes and Golden Nuggets and Coco Pops..."

"Cornflakes are good for me," said Jaime, not able to take his eyes off her as she went to retrieve the cereal, the milk, two bowls, and some spoons. "I can't hang around too long anyway, I have a class at ten."

"That is fine, I've got a seminar about medieval women that I can't miss," she smiled as she came to put everything on the table. "Can I come over to yours later, though?"

There was something slightly tentative in her expression, so Jaime reached out and squeezed her hand. "Of course. We can watch the next episode of _The Young High Sparrow,_ but you will have to explain to me what happened last time."

She smiled and blushed in a way so sweet it was as if there were roses in her cheeks. "I don't know why you can't pay attention--"

Her phone rang. She got it out of her pocket to take a look.

"It is my Uncle Endrew. Will you give me a moment?"

Jaime squeezed her hand again before letting go. "Of course, but don't take too long. I want to say goodbye to you before I leave."

Brienne gave him another cute, shy smile before retreating from the room to talk to her uncle. Jaime watched her go, marvelling at all the ways she was slowly opening up to him, like a flower in the warm spring sun. After she left, Jaime wanted to luxuriate in their growing intimacy, but three hounds - hungry for gossip - pounced on him at once.

"Are you and Brienne together?"

"What are you doing? Why didn't you kiss her?"

"What is going _on_ with you two? We are trying to help, but you are both so confusing."

Margaery, Loras, and Renly's expressions were matched in the extent of their confusion, excitement, and desperation for the truth. It made Jaime laugh. It had been so long since he was at the centre of gossip and tittle-tattle - perhaps as long ago as when he first dated Cersei - and that he was now sharing such a space with Brienne now made him immensely heart-warmed.

"I'm not the type to kiss and tell," he said, pouring himself a bowl of cornflakes.

Margaery's eyes became as large as silver pennies. "You _have_ kissed then?"

"Well, no," said Jaime, the thought of kissing Brienne making his heated blush extend down his neck, "but I'm working on it."

"You think you are close?" asked Renly, on tenterhooks.

"I hope so," replied Jaime, looking down at his breakfast.

 _Soon,_ he told himself. _Soon._

* * *

 _Soon_ could not come enough for Jaime, as lying in bed with Brienne every night, holding her, and occasionally pressing butterfly kisses to her hair, her temple, and her cheeks were giving him major problems.

He was nearly permanently hard.

As they watched TV together, he often had to tilt his hips away from her because he had stopped paying attention to the Young High Sparrow's latest shenanigans and had started imagining what it would be like to actually share a bed with Brienne as her lover. Would she be coy as he rolled her onto her back and pulled her t-shirt over her head? Would she let him touch her little breasts, and take time kissing them and fondling them until they were pink with pleasure? Did she like receiving oral sex? Did she want the soft skin of her inner thighs bitten and sucked until she was marked, then soothed with sweet kisses? It would please him so much if she did. Or would she ask that all attention be on _his_ body? Would she run her hands over his chest, just as she had at Renly's party? Or would she go straight for his cock? How would she grip him? Nervously while asking for advice? Or confidently, taking ownership of their love-making? Would she stroke him quickly? Slowly? Teasingly? Would she squeeze too tight, would he have to teach her? Would she use her thumb to move back the skin of his head? Would she take him in her mouth? _How_ would she take him in her mouth? Tentatively? Curiously? Lustfully? Would she--?

"Professor Lannister, you are daydreaming."

"Sorry, Professor Tully-Stark," he said, turning his attention away from his fantasies and back towards his colleague. "What were you saying?"

"You've got a meeting with the representative from the funding body, to talk about the enzymes project," she said, giving him a firm look. " _Please_ don't fuck this up."

He found the assumption in her tone marginally insulting. "I won't!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I would like to remind you that we did not get funding from _The Darry Institute_ because you fell out with their representative at the Sevenmas Party."

"She kept coming onto me, and I _wasn't_ interested."

"I'm sure Ami was just being friendly..."

"She pinched my arse!"

Catelyn rolled her eyes. "I know, you've told me many times, and I believe you... but can you _please_ not do anything to mess this up? The representative has already spoken to everyone else on the project and things are looking positive. I know you can be charming when you want to be, so can you please try?"

"Of course," said Jaime, a little stiffly. "What do you want me to say?"

At Jaime's request, Catelyn then went through everything that she wanted him to say concerning the enzyme project. He tried to listen, but his mind kept drifting back to Brienne. Perhaps tonight would be the night that she would roll over, cup his face with her hands, and kiss him until he was breathless. She would tell him that she no longer wanted to take it slow, and they would go faster and faster until they were nothing more than two naked, sweaty bodies - grasping, keening, and moaning - moving in and out of each other with a desperate desire to belong, to be taken, to hold each other, to...

"Jaime?"

"Sorry Catelyn, I'm listening."

"Well, he's waiting for you in Oberyn's office," she said, pointing over to the swish obvious with the glass wall on the other side of the common room. To Jaime's surprise, there was already a red-headed man fiddling on his phone residing within.

"Oh," replied Jaime, not particularly excited at the prospect. "I'll... um... go and talk to him then."

"Good idea," said Catelyn, taking a seat on the sofa at the centre of the common room. "I'll sit here until you come out with good news."

"But you will be able to see me through the glass!" squawked Jaime.

Catelyn smiled at him teasingly. "That is the plan. Go in and make small talk with the funding representative; make pleasant chit-chat to get him to like you..."

"I'm not a robot, Cat, I know how to make friends."

"Then go make friends," ordered Catelyn tersely, sitting back into the sofa and folding her arms. "I'll be waiting! And judging!"

Not really liking the way Catelyn was forcing him to talk to the funding guy as if they were two disobedient five-year-olds at the school gate, Jaime nevertheless turned his back on his colleague and headed towards the office, going to meet his fate. The man from the funding body was sitting in Oberyn's room, which was more a giant fish tank than an office, as there were glass walls on every side and a large window overlooking the campus. When Jaime pushed the door open, the red-headed man looked up and gave him a lop-sided smile as he tucked his phone in his pocket.

"Ah, Doctor Jaime Lannister, I presume," he said, extending his hand.

Jaime tried to smile but found it hard. The man's slimy smile and incorrect use of his title had instantly put his back up. " _Professor_ Lannister," he replied, taking the man's hand. "And... you are?"

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "Ronnet Connington of the _Griffin's Roost Scientific Partnership_. Pleasure to meet you. I am here today to ask you why you think your project..."

Yet Jaime hardly heard a word he said, because Brienne's explanation for why she was distant and nervous around him suddenly came back to him, as forceful and unavoidable as a tsunami. The name Ron Connington was all over it.

 _Connington and the others did not seem to think so, though. They bet on me because they thought it would be funny to use me as a joke, even though I had never done anything to them. And more fool me, I fell for it... We got to the party and I had put on this blue dress that I thought made me look_ okay _._ _Ron was nice all evening, so I thought maybe he believed that too, until he took me onto the dance floor during slow dances. We were right in front of everybody and then he leant in and kissed me. It wasn't the best kiss ever, but it was my_ _first_ _kiss, so I was set on treasuring it forever... but then he stepped back, laughed, and said_ that is all you are ever getting from me. _I then realised that the other guys in my class had taken photos of the kiss, and that it had all been a set up. Ron spent the rest of the party collecting his winnings._

Just looking at the man who had been so awful to Brienne made the rage grow in Jaime's belly like molten lava, while also preventing any discussion of the enzyme project.

"Sorry, did you say your name was Ronnet Connington?"

The funding guy stopped whatever he was saying and furrowed his brow. "Yeah, it says it on my business card." He tapped the little piece of card to rub it in.

Jaime's breath hitched in his throat; this truly was no case of mistaken identity. "Did you do a Masters in Medieval Studies at Bitterbridge?"

"Yeah," snorted Connington, "but there was no money in fucking history, so I got out of there as soon as I could. Working in funding, you get much more money and all sorts of desperate female academics throw themselves at you. I might even have a crack at old Professor Tully-Stark out there. She looks a little like a Mother I'd Like To Fu--"

"Did you study the same year as Mark Mullendore?" interrupted Jaime, not wanting to hear the sexist tirade that Connington was undoubtedly considering embarking on. "What about Hyle Hunt? Ben Bushey? Or Ed Ambrose... and Brienne Tarth?"

While he nodded along with the first few names, the moment Jaime landed on Brienne, Ron pulled a face. "Oh gods, don't remind me of that heffer. She used to think she was so fucking clever and made everyone feel small, just because she knew about Andal Miniscule and all that bullshit."

"I know her," said Jaime, "I--"

_Love her?_

But Ron did not let Jaime get it out.

"Then you know she looks like the back end of a cow, what with that manly face and those huge, hulking shoulders. And the pathetic thing was she kept trying to flirt with us guys, as if she had a chance with any of us. I've never seen a woman quite as ugly as her. Can you imagine going out with Brienne the Beauty?"

Jaime could imagine it very well, as he was right on the cusp of it, ready to take the plunge with her. And he didn't want it to just be a friendly thing, a meeting of minds; he wanted it to be physical too. All the aspects of Brienne's appearance that Connington laughed at, Jaime adored, so his temper continued to burn hotter and hotter, especially as Connington was saying all this in a meeting that should be about funding rather than old frat boy pranks that had shattered a vulnerable young woman's confidence.

"She was so ridiculous that we all made a bet to see who could fuck her first, and the stupid cow thought I was being serious when I asked her to Mark's party. What a joke, you should have seen the look on her face after I kissed her." Conning laughed. Jaime did not. "I told that ugly freak that it was all she was getting from me, that I would never--"

Jaime did not hear what Connington would never do, as he pulled back his arm, tight as a bowstring, then punched the man square in the jaw. Taken by surprise, Connington was knocked back, crashing into Oberyn's filing cabinet with a deafening bang and scattering a pile of papers that were on the desk into the air.

"Call her by her name!" yelled Jaime, his fury no longer tethered to either rational thinking or good sense, just the overwhelming desire to defend Brienne from a man who had treated her like trash. "Call her by her name."

Connington spat a gob of blood on the floor. "Fine! I'll call her Brienne, I'll..."

"What on earth is going on in here!" cried Professor Tully-Stark as she came thundering into the room, looking down at the unfolding horror. "Mr Connington! Are you alright?"

"I think that bastard broke my nose!" spat Connington, his face a bloody mess.

Desperately wanting to help the man on whom all her funding hopes and dreams were pinned, Catelyn began to help Connington to his feet. "Oh god, Mr Connington, I'm so sorry for my colleague's behaviour. We'll get you an ice pack..."

"I don't want an ice pack," Connington said, shaking Catelyn off. "I want to get out of here. You lot are crazy! Mark my words, this is the end of any hope of your team being funded by _Griffin's Roost Scientific Partnership."_

Catelyn's face turned pale. "Mr Connington, surely you can reconsider..."

Ron Connington did not even deign her with a verbal response. Waving an arm at her, indicating he wanted her to shut up, Connington then pinched the bridge of his nose and marched out of the office. It was only then that Jaime noticed the rest of the department were outside in the common room, staring at them through the glass. He and Catelyn were the goldfish, swimming for their entertainment.

The moment Connington had disappeared from view, Catelyn rounded on Jaime, all fire, anger, and raging storms. "What on earth was that, Jaime?" she shouted, standing up to her full height as she confronted him. "I told you to be nice, to chit-chat, to make friends, and then two minutes later you punch him in the face! What the hell was that about?"

Jaime knew he should feel sorry but, thinking of Brienne and the way Connington treated her, he just couldn't bring himself to be.

"He knows my... my... _girlfriend_ and was horrible to her in the past, then he just brought it all up before we even got onto the subject of the funding. He was talking shit about her and I couldn't bear it."

Catelyn looked at him incredulously, as if she had never heard anything so ridiculous in all her life. "Are we twelve and still stuck in the playground? Gods, Jaime, couldn't you behave like an adult? You can't just go around punching people just because they were mean to your girlfriend!"

"Cat, I..."

"I'm going to have to report you to the University for this, you know?" she said, without a ounce of regret in her eyes. "You've jeopardised the entire department, our entire project, and for what? Something rude he said about your girlfriend?"

The way Catelyn was looking at him told Jaime that she was expecting him to apologise, to get down on his knees and beg her to remain quiet. Unfortunately for Catelyn, Jaime did not feel contrite, but proud. The ringing pain in his hand was nothing to the hurt that Connington had caused Brienne, and if it made her feel just a tiny bit better, he would do it all over again.

"I'm not going to apologise," said Jaime resolutely, folding her arms across his chest.

"Fine," replied Catelyn. Her tone was as sharp as a knife. "Then you must prepare for the consequences."

 _Bring them on,_ thought Jaime.


	9. Late Nights in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brienne finds out what Jaime has done...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for coming back and reading this fluffy, angsty mess of a fic. I hope you enjoy!

Jaime had not contacted Brienne for three days, and she was starting to get worried.

After that first brief message - which had told her she could not come around to his to watch the latest episode of _The Young High Sparrow_ and for the planned cuddle that evening, because he was busy - she had heard nothing; no cute little gifs, no strings of emojis, no effusive reassurances that he would see her soon.

Nothing.

 _I wish I knew more about relationships,_ she thought desperately. _Then I would know if this was normal, or if this is actually the end._

She had heard about ghosting and, while she did not think that Jaime was the type, his silence was deeply, deeply concerning, especially as he had been so affectionate with her up to this point in their relationship. Although she had been nervous at first, Brienne had found it was very easy to lay in bed with Jaime, her ear pressed against his chest. There was something soothing in the regular _da-dum, da-dum, da-dum_ of his heart, and she loved the way his fingers tangled in her hair, moving in gentle, soothing strokes.

 _Be brave,_ she had told herself repeatedly when Jaime had been lying by her side, close enough to embrace. _Just turn your head and kiss him. He's not that far away._

_Just do it._

_What is stopping you?_

_Be brave_

Yet while Brienne could be brave in many aspects of her life - with her friends, with her work, with career opportunities - she could never be brave in romance. Although he was so close, she still sometimes felt as if he was as real as a dream and would crumble into ash if she pushed too far. Consequently, Brienne had forced herself to feel content with his back against hers and his fingers skirting up and down her side, even though his closeness made her feel really warm and tight between her legs in a way that left her longing, aching, and unsatisfied.

While Brienne had been able to find contentment in the line she walked in terms of their physical closeness, she was not able to do the same with his sudden lack of contact. Over the past few weeks, Jaime had become such a familiar comfort that his unexpected absence left a hole in her life. Brienne did not know what to do. Should she call him? Visit his flat? Ask him what she had done wrong? Or should she forget anything had ever happened between them, and let Jaime retreat with the dignity he so obviously wanted?

Desperately unsure about what to do, Brienne decided she needed some help, so went to the only people who might be able to give her a little insight into what was going on. Margaery, Loras, and Renly were all much more confident when it came to love than Brienne, and all had more experience in this department. Even so, she was a little unsure about whether approaching them was a good idea, because she feared they would suggest something drastic to fix her problem.

"I don't think Jaime has ghosted you," said Renly over breakfast, after Brienne asked for their thoughts in hushed tones.

"But he hasn't contacted me at all, and we had been spending lots of time together..."

Margaery gave her a wry smile. "When you say _spending lots of time together,_ what do you mean?"

"You know," Brienne replied with a blush, "just... hanging out."

"And what does _hanging out_ mean?" asked Loras. He joined in with Margaery's teasing tone.

Brienne's cheeks went from pink to crimson. "Jaime would... and I... we would watch a box set together... and just... um... cuddle."

"Cuddle?" echoed Renly. "Is that all?"

Brienne nodded, feeling hot all over. "Yes. We would get in bed and he'd put his arms around me and..."

" _Brienne Tarth!"_ squawked Margaery in faux shock. "Are you trying to tell me that you _cuddled_ with a man _in your bed?_ Why, you should both get married right now before the village elders hear about this shocking scandal!"

In spite of her fears, Brienne found it quite difficult not to laugh. "Guys, be serious, I need _help_ here. I thought everything was going so well with Jaime - I had even explained that I was shy and needed to take some time - and I thought he understood that. But now I am worried that he's decided he's changed his mind. What if he's ghosted me instead of telling me the truth? What if he likes me as a person, but has realised he doesn't want me physically?"

"Has he done anything to suggest that he _doesn't_ want you physically?" asked Loras.

"Well... _no,_ but he hasn't really told me he _does_ want me physically either."

Margaery raised an eyebrow. "Brienne, he gets into your bed most nights for a cuddle. That is him telling you that he wants you physically."

"Is it?"

"YES!" cried Margaery, Loras, and Renly as one.

As Brienne began pouting in embarrassment, Renly laughed. "Honestly, Brie, you are sometimes so oblivious," he said into his cereal. "Please tell me you at least noticed whether he tilted his hips away from you?"

Not quite understanding what her friend was getting at, Brienne thought about Renly's question for a moment, before falling on the answer with a loud bump. The realisation of what Jaime's actions meant instantly made her deeply regretful. "He sometimes put a pillow between us when we were cuddling, so that our lower bodies don't touch. He probably did it so that I don't get any wrong ideas about him wanting me..."

Her conclusion set her three housemates guffawing.

"Stop laughing!" Brienne said stroppily, folding her arms across her chest.

Although Margaery was clutching her sides through her giggling, she managed to at least get some words out. "The man is lying in bed with you while sporting an enormous erection that he has to cover up with a pillow and you are out here doubting if he wants you physically."

"I..."

"Brienne," said Loras once he had control of his laughter. "Jaime _wants_ you. Accept it, and then decide what to do about it."

She looked down at her hands, too embarrassed to meet her friends' eyes.

"But he's ghosted me... and I don't know what to do to get him back."

"Message him," said Margaery firmly, "ask him to come over. If he tells you no, or doesn't reply, Renly, Loras, and I will do some investigating to find out what is up."

Brienne snapped her head up. "You will?"

"Yes," replied Margaery. "You are one of my best friends, Brienne, and you deserve to be happy. So grab this opportunity with both hands."

"And Jaime's dick, while you are at it," smirked Loras.

* * *

Brienne decided to message Jaime when she was on the bus on the way to university, as she was free from the pressures of her housemates, and not so focussed that she would scare herself out of doing it.

_Hey Jaime_

_Hi J--_

_Hey, it's me, Brienne._

_Hi, just checking to check--_

She took a breath, telling herself to remain calm.

_Hey Jaime, it's Brienne here. I am just messaging to see if you are okay. I haven't heard from you for a few days, so I'm worried. Please let me know x_

She debated on the number of kisses for a good five minutes, but eventually settled on the one. Too many would come across as desperate, and too few would not be grabbing the opportunity with both hands. Once she had settled on the tone, Brienne sent the message while closing her eyes, then stuffed her phone in her bag so she did not hang on a response. She breathed in deeply.

 _You've been brave,_ she thought. _Now you've just got to wait._

Although she was almost boiling over with worry and concern for Jaime, Brienne managed to resist checking her phone for most of the rest of the day, using the meetings and work on her thesis as an excuse to keep her phone on silent. However, by the end of the day, she was so fit to burst that she checked her messages on the bus on the way home, without even having any appropriate reaction prepared.

Nothing.

_Oh gods. Maybe Margaery, Renly, and Loras were wrong. Maybe Jaime doesn't want me. Maybe Jaime..._

"Brienne, you look as pale as a sheet," said Loras when Brienne entered their flat's kitchen. "I've just boiled the kettle. Have a cup of tea and tell us all about it."

It didn't take long to make her tea, so before long Brienne found herself sitting round the kitchen table with her friends, unloading her heart.

"I think you might need to do some investigating," she said sadly, before taking a sip of her tea. "I messaged Jaime, but I haven't heard back." Her three friends exchange a furtive glance, which piqued Brienne's interest. "What do you three know?" she said resignedly, leaning back in her chair. Although she was curious, Brienne could not shake the fear that it was something bad.

There was a moment of silence, before the collective decided it was Renly's job to deliver the news. "Well... Margaery saw Theon in the canteen at lunch time, and he told her that he had heard from his sister Asha - who owns a bar in town - that she was told by Qarl, who drinks at the bar and is a technician at the Uni's science department... that Jaime is in deep, deep _shit."_

Brienne's heart fell. "What?"

"He... erm..." began Renly, before turning to his friend. "Margaery, I think it's your turn to take over from here."

She did without a second thought. "Apparently, Jaime is being investigated by the university for a _physical altercation_ with a representative from one of the funding bodies. The dude doesn't want to press charges - rumour has it he said some quite nasty stuff - but the university is treating it very seriously."

Given everything she knew about her sexy professor, that explanation for Jaime's absence from her life made little to no sense to Brienne.

"A physical altercation?"

"He punched someone," said Loras, before reaching out to take her hand. "Apparently, he did it because this guy insulted his girlfriend... at least, that is what he told Professor Tully-Stark."

If Brienne's heart had already fallen from a great height it her chest, it was now the turn of the rest of her internal organs to take a running jump.

"Oh... his girlfriend."

Brienne wondered who she was. Maybe Jaime had met her at the University when he was not spending time with Brienne. She could well imagine that some pretty young professor had caught his eye - buxom, beautiful, and uncomplicated - and she could not begrudge him finding happiness. Brienne was not Jaime's girlfriend, that much was true, but there was a small part that had been hoping...

"All I know is that this Ron Connington must have been a right arse for Jaime to punch him in the face."

Brienne spat her tea out right across the table.

Renly leapt back, not wanting his new shirt to be stained. "Brienne? What was that for?"

"Ron Connington?" cried Brienne, discarding her tea as she got to her feet. "Jaime punched Ron Connington?"

Margaery looked up at Brienne confusedly. "According to rumour. Why, do you know him?"

 _Jaime punched Ron for me,_ thought Brienne. _And that means..._

"I'm Jaime's girlfriend!!!"

"Brienne," said Loras confusedly, as Brienne started searching round the kitchen for her bag. "Where are you going?"

"Out! I've got to go find Jaime! I..."

"Brienne!" called Margaery.

"I'll talk to you later!" Brienne promised them, as she went running down the hallway. "I've just _got to go!"_

There were a few confused shouts from her friends as she slammed the front door, but Brienne hardly cared. Her mind was racing. Jaime had _punched_ Ron Connington because he had been rude to his girlfriend, and unless the pretty professor who haunted Brienne's imagination had also had the misfortune to run into Connington and had him behave like an utter dick, that meant that Jaime had done it for her.

 _Was it impulsive and crazy and reckless? Yes,_ she thought, _but I hardly care._

Running like the wind, Brienne flew all the way to Jaime's flat, expecting him to be there. If he was truly the subject of some sort of disciplinary procedure by the university, she expected him to be at home mulling over his crime. However, to her surprise, the whole building was shrouded in shadow, and she got no answer when she knocked on the door.

 _He must be in the library,_ she decided. _Yes, that is the only place he can be, because it is one of the only places he thinks of as a sanctuary._

It took a little while to power up the hill to the library, so by the time Brienne got there she was a little out of breath and a tad sweaty. However, she did not let that deter her, and instead went racing into the building, swearing repeatedly when the tap-in entry wouldn't immediately recognise her card.

"Come on, come on, come on," she muttered, as she jogged up the stairs towards their usual spot. "Jaime is waiting!"

When she finally arrived in their usual room, Brienne was sad to discover that Jaime was not in his usual seat. For what felt like the fifteenth time that evening, her heart fell. She had been so certain he would be here, so excited at the prospect of...

"Brienne?"

She turned her head towards his voice. Jaime was standing in one of the aisles off to the left, holding a book about the Blue Knight in his hands. Although he looked a little tired, pale, and peaky, his eyes were bright as he gazed at her. Dressed in a jumper over his shirt and jeans, with his adorable glasses balanced on his head, Brienne's heart nearly burst. Knowing she needed to act before her courage deserted her, Brienne abandoned her bag on one of the tables and then marched across to Jaime. It seemed to her that his cheeks got more flushed with every step she took, and his slow crimsoning did not stop until she was standing right in front of him, a wave of emotion growing at the very centre of herself.

Her words came out in a flood of emotion. "Did you really punch Ron Connington?"

"Yeah," he said, without a flicker of shame. "He hurt you and he seemed proud of it and I just..."

She did not even let him finish his sentence. Not caring that there might be _repercussions_ for Jaime for punching a funding representative, or that she should be cross because she could be her own knight in shining armour, Brienne stepped forward and kissed Jaime in a great swell of gratitude and bemused disbelief, the only fitting reaction to what she had just heard. As her hand jumped to his cheek, Jaime gasped - with surprise or arousal she did not know - but nevertheless Brienne wasted no time in kissing him properly, kissing him deeply, kissing him breathless.

 _Oh,_ she mused. _I'm kissing Jaime Lannister._

_How wonderful._

Although it was nearly impossible to think anything sensible, when Jaime ran his tongue along her top lip, then began to explore the inside of her mouth - meeting her tongue as a thrum of want ricocheted through her entire body - Brienne tried to focus. She wanted this to feel good for him, especially as she was so inexperienced herself. What made a good kiss? Was it the technique? Being confident? Or was it the aching closeness that Brienne was now experiencing for the first time as she slid her tongue against Jaime's, her hand still on his face?

Breaking the kiss, Brienne moved back, watching in wonder as Jaime's eyes fluttered open. "Jaime, I..."

"No, I need more," he said breathlessly, before looping one hand around the back of her neck and pulling her in for another kiss. This one was more crushing and bruising than the first, and Brienne suddenly realised that her chest was pressed against Jaime's, and that he had put his other hand on the small of her back, dangerously close to her arse. Overwhelmed by the fact that Jaime seemed desperate to kiss her, to run his hands all over her and in some sense be _hers,_ Brienne surged forward, pushing him back against the shelf. His copy of _The Blue Knight_ had already gone tumbling to the floor, but now other books joined it and Brienne could hardly bring herself to care, not when Jaime was kissing her in a way that made her feel both weak, strong, and entirely aflame.

Eventually, Jaime seemed to realise that they needed to come up for air, as he rocked back on his heels. Brienne might have interpreted that as a withdrawal, if it weren't for the fact his face was still less than an inch from hers and she could feel his hot breath on her lips.

"You punched Connington... _for me_?" she asked, bewildered and bemused yet totally enthralled by this story she never thought could truly belong to her.

Jaime smiled with the brightness of a thousand stars. "Of course. Even though I'm probably going to be disciplined by the University in some way - Catelyn was _furious_ \- but I can hardly bring myself to care, because you don't deserve to be treated in the way that Connington treated you. In fact, you deserve so much more. I might be a washed up divorcee with too many years on you, but you deserve someone fighting in your corner, Brienne. You really do, because you are just _flat out wonderful."_

"I am?"

"Yes," he beamed, "you honestly are, and I wish I had had the courage to tell you before."

Brienne was so overwhelmed by that declaration - beautiful and truthful, but still poetic and romantic - that she could do nothing but say his name.

"Jaime?"

"Yes?"

"Am I your girlfriend?"

In lieu of a confirmation, Jaime just responded with another luminescent smile, and a kiss so full of passion and meaning that it took Brienne's breath away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I have been so nervous about the build up to their first kiss, but I hoped you liked it and I would love to hear what you think. Please let me know in the form of comments or kudos.


	10. Late Nights in Lingerie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime picks out a controversial first anniversary present for Brienne...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I am sorry I've been so slow with updating recently, I've just been having a slight crisis of confidence with my writing. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy some slightly crappy smut!

Jaime had been really nervous about what to buy Brienne for their first anniversary. What material thing could possibly express all the joy and love she had brought into his life? After all, it was Brienne who had been there to help him deal with the two month suspension from his job due to the punching an asshole funding representative incident; Brienne who kissed him on the cheek every morning and said _have a good day, my love;_ Brienne who had taken to making him a packed lunch and leaving him little endearing notes with lots of kisses and hearts underneath his sandwiches; Brienne who went with him to the vets when Myrcella got attacked by another dog on a walk and needed surgery on her ear; Brienne who had encouraged him to grow the beard that Cersei had always forbidden, then run her hands through it and told him how handsome he looked. It was Brienne who was there for him, no questions asked, and Brienne who he kissed a lot, and went down on a lot, and fucked a lot, and generally loved a whole lot, and his world was so much brighter with her in it.

Three months into their relationship, after he had finally convinced her to be the one on top during sex, she had curled up next to him and wrapped an arm around his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. She was still a tiny bit breathless as she whispered those three little words.

"I love you, Jaime. So much."

A lump had bloomed in his throat at that declaration, especially as her expression had been so soft and sweet as she said it. "You do?"

"Yes," she said, her blue eyes reflecting the moonlight in their dark room. They looked like sapphires, freshly recovered from the dirt. "Is that okay?"

"More than okay," he said, grinning. "Because I love you too."

"You do?"

"Yes," Jaime laughed, pleased at the repetition. "So much."

They sealed it with kisses, and more sex.

When Jaime's contract with Bronn ran out and Brienne's came up for renewal, they decided the best thing to do was to move in together. They already spent most of their time together, after all, and in his heart of hearts, Jaime had wanted a bed that they could call _theirs._ It had taken so long to coax Brienne into a physical relationship with him, that now they had one, he had wanted to give it the space to flourish further.

And with their _own_ space, came more opportunities...

"Jaime, spit it out," said Margaery over her coffee. "You've called me here because you want to talk about Brienne, and I don't have all day. What is it you want to say?"

Jaime bit his lip, mulling over his words. "I'm trying to find the right things to buy Brienne for our first anniversary, and I just thought I could do with some advice."

" _Things?"_ said Margaery, the surprise in her voice and her rapidly rising eyebrows working in unison. "You are going to buy her more than one present?"

"Well, yeah. I've already bought two of them - a locket in the shape of a heart and this leather jacket she really wanted - but I need your help on the third."

That intrigued Margaery, and she leant forward to turn their conversation into a conspiracy. "What are you thinking of getting her?"

Not wanting to say it aloud in a coffee shop, Jaime reached into his bag, retrieved his phone then searched for the link he had saved to show Margaery. He dimmed to brightness a little so there was no chance the people on the next table could see it, then passed his phone to Margaery surreptitiously under the table. Margaery's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she looked at his phone.

"Wow... someone is horny for his girlfriend."

Jaime snatched his phone back. "I'm not _horny..._ well, maybe I am a little horny for Brienne, but that's not why I want to buy her lingerie."

"Then why _do_ you want to buy her lingerie?" asked Margaery, looking highly amused at Jaime's flustered response.

Trying to quell his blush, Jaime tried his best to explain the intimate realities of his relationship with Brienne without exposing too much of her heart. "Although I would like it if she put on some lingerie for me, I also want her to feel sexy and desirable, because I know she still struggles with that sometimes. I thought getting her some lingerie might be a way to encourage her, but at the same time I'm worried it will make her run a mile, because she can be so skittish. And as you are her best friend, I thought you might have some insight? I don't want to upset her, and I..."

Margaery put down her coffee in order to rest her hand on Jaime's arm. Surprised, Jaime looked up at her, to find she was smiling at him with a kind of bemused care.

"She will probably want to put the lingerie on, because she loves you a lot and wants to please you."

"She will?"

"Yes," replied Margaery, her words coloured by amusement. "Although she could still find it difficult given how shy she is."

"I don't want it to be difficult for her. I don't want to put pressure on her..."

Margaery squeezed his arm. "Then _tell_ her that. Tell her you would like her to wear it because you think she would look hot, but at the same time she is under no pressure from you. Communicating with Brienne is the only thing you can do in this situation, Jaime, rather than talking to me."

That seemed a strange notion to Jaime, as during his relationship with Cersei, he had never really communicated his wants and feelings.

 _I suppose it is different with Brienne, though,_ he thought. _She really loves me, after all..._

* * *

After his discussion with Margaery, Jaime went home and ordered the midnight blue silky lingerie secretly from his own _Sothoryos_ account, then cooked dinner for himself and Brienne and tried not to look suspicious when she entered the kitchen. After chucking her bag on the table, Brienne came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, then kissed his neck. Jaime had to try and suppress a shiver of want.

"Hello, sweetheart," she said softly, leaving Jaime to melt as she pressed her smile against his skin. "How has your day been?"

Although the entirety of Jaime's chest was feeling very warm and fuzzy, he eventually managed to sound somewhat relaxed when he responded. "Fine, although I was getting a bit hungry so I decided to start making us some food," he replied. "How was your day?"

"Fine too. Alongside my thesis research, I managed to do some _fun_ research."

"Fun research?" he said teasingly as he stirred the pasta sauce. "Are ancient women not _fun_ research?"

She gently nipped his ear then let out a breathy chuckle. "I like my thesis research, sure, but I have to be honest... today I was more interested in finding somewhere we could go for our anniversary dinner."

Jaime stopped stirring the pasta sauce and turned his head to look at her. He was so happy to see that she looked very excited at the prospect. "Oooh, and did you settle on anywhere good?"

"I made us a provisional booking at _Arbor Gold_ on the big day itself, but it isn't until 8.30pm, which is a little late, so if you don't like..."

Given her slightly concerned expression, Jaime pecked Brienne on the cheek. "That sounds great. I normally get home from class about 6pm, so we will have the time to chill out together before we go for dinner."

"Chill out?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

Jaime could not stop his grin growing in anticipation.

"Oh, you _know_ what it means."

In spite of his excitement at the prospect of _chilling out_ with Brienne on a day that was entirely about their relationship, Jaime was still a little nervous on the morning of their anniversary. Although his pep talk from Margaery had initially reassured him about buying the gift, he was still a little scared of Brienne's reaction to the lingerie that was stored neatly in a box downstairs. Would she like it and embrace the exciting opportunities it represented? Or retreat back into her shell, scared of coming out and facing him?

"Good morning, my love," Brienne smiled, as she rolled over in bed and smiled at him, all sun and starlight. "Happy anniversary!"

Given how happy she looked, Jaime could not help but wrap his arms around his girlfriend, and marvel at the way she instantly relaxed against him, all soft and pliable. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away slightly.

"I have morning breath."

"So do I, and I don't care."

His statement of equality softened her slightly and Brienne's eyes dropped to his lips, before she gave in and surrendered to the kiss she had initially denied him. Jaime answered hungrily, moving his hands down her back to cup her muscled arse; although some might think it unfeminine, Jaime loved the way it reminded him of how strong and athletic she was. As he squeezed her arse, Brienne made an animalistic growling sound at the back of her throat, which encouraged him to gently move them both so he was on top of her, kissing her into the bed until she was breathless, until he was hard and aching and wanting...

"Jaime," she giggled, after carefully pulling away. "We don't have time."

"We _do_ have time," he countered. "There's always time for sex."

"Not now there isn't! I have a class to teach in just over an hour!"

Jaime pouted at her. "Tell them you are ill."

"No," laughed Brienne, as Jaime began nuzzling her neck. "That wouldn't make me a very good teacher, would it?"

"Perhaps not, but it would make you an excellent girlfriend," he chuckled, pulling her closer. Brienne sighed in a way she probably intended to be exasperatedly but did not quite reach it, then did not object when he slipped a hand beneath her nightdress.

"Hey! I'm already an excellent girlfriend!"

Although he could tell Brienne was joining in with the joke, there was also a dash of insecurity in her voice, so he stopped rubbing his face in her neck in order to look up at her. There was such softness in her gaze that he could not stop himself reaching up to cup her cheek.

"I know," he said, reflecting the tenderness in her eyes in the tone of his voice. "You are an amazing girlfriend, and I love you so much."

She blushed, her cheeks crimsoning like a blooming rose. "I love you too... but we should really get up and have breakfast. We can save sexy times for later."

He pouted disappointedly. "It's our anniversary. We should spend the whole day in bed. I want to devote today to worshipping between your legs. Nothing else, that's it. Just you and me and our bodies."

The flush extended from her cheeks, down her neck, and to her chest. It was so deep that, for a moment, Jaime thought he had convinced her. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

"Jaime," she sighed, shuffling out from underneath him before sitting up and running her fingers through his hair.

Jaime could not help but hum with pleasure. She was so gentle. "Brienne. I love it when you touch me..."

"Later, I promise, but I've got lots of work to do today and so have you." She slipped her hand from the top of his head to his cheek, which allowed Jaime to tilt his chin and kiss her palm. Smiling at that small gesture, Brienne got out of their bed, just as her nightgown slipped down over her muscled behind and strong thighs. She noticed the ways his eyes dropped to observe her, and her grin grew larger. " _Later_."

"Mean woman," he teased, resting his head on his hands as he tried not to laugh.

She cocked her eyebrow at him as she went to retrieve her clothes from their wardrobe. "Not that mean, I've got you presents. Do you want to open them before we go to work, or shall we save them for later along with the sex?"

Jaime needed no time at all to think about it.

"We'll do it now, because I don't want to cut into our sexy times later."

"Terrible man," she responded, with a laugh.

After they had showered and dressed, Jaime and Brienne met in the kitchen to exchange their gifts. Brienne's sat on the table all meticulously wrapped in green paper, while Jaime had made sure his were gift wrapped in the shop. She smiled when he deposited them in front of her.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he said, leaning forward for a kiss (this time minty fresh).

After they broke apart, she smiled. It still amazed him how full of wonder Brienne often looked. "Happy anniversary, Jaime. Do you want to go first, or shall I?"

"Shall we try to do it at the same time?" teased Jaime. "We've managed to achieve it - but in a different context - before."

Brienne put on another one of her adorable blushes as she handed one of the green-wrapped presents to him. "Okay but open this one first. You should know that when I saw it in the shop that I just thought it would look good on you, but if you don't like the colour, I have a receipt and..."

In spite of all her mumbled excuses, Jaime had no problems with the expensive salmon pink shirt he found inside the wrapping, the price tag indicating it was from _Ellaria's,_ one of the most stylish boutique stores in King's Landing. Although he loved it, it did not feel as personal as the book on fencing she got him, or the tickets to see _Arthur Dayne in Conversation_ at the King's Landing Orbital in a few months’ time.

"Do you like your presents?" she asked a little nervously, as he flicked through the book. "I've just never done first anniversary gifts before, and I didn't really know..."

He can't help but smile bemusedly at her doubt. "The gifts are great. _You_ did great, so don't worry about it."

"That is good to know," she said, the tension disappearing from her shoulders. "I was so worried I would do it all wrong."

Even after all this time together, Brienne sometimes retreated into a soft fear that made Jaime want to just reach out and hold her. In that moment, however, he did not go for an embrace but instead took her hand. "There was no chance of that," he said gently. "It is more likely that I get my presents for _you_ all wrong. I'm so used to buying for Cersei that I am worried they might be too flashy or too much or too..."

"If I am not allowed to worry, then you are certainly not," said Brienne gently, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. It was so sweet that Jaime nearly melted, but it was not quite as sweet as her enthusiastic responses to the presents he had bought her. She gasped when she unwrapped the leather jacket and was even more amazed when it fit her like a glove.

"I did my research," Jaime grinned, overwhelmed at her happiness, which earned him another kiss. "Aren't I a good boyfriend?"

Brienne rolled her eyes teasingly. "Don't get smug," she replied, determined to play the aloof ice queen, before nearly bursting into tears less than two minutes later when she saw the locket. "Oh, Jaime it is so pretty!"

Given how well his first two presents had gone, Jaime was riding high when Brienne reached for the third. The lingerie had been placed in a box with a big blue bow, but Brienne did not seem to recognise that it was labelled _Chataya's_ \- one of the most luxurious lingerie brands in the world - as she was looking at it curiously, as if she did not have the slightest inkling what it contained. Her excitable smile dimmed somewhat when she got the box open and lifted up the silky blue fabric, which appeared insubstantial in her big hands. Jaime tried not to feel nervous, even as Brienne went a little pale.

"What is this?" she asked. Her voice was so quiet that even the birds singing outside were louder.

Jaime cleared his throat nervously. "Lingerie. That is the bra, that is the thong. There is also a pair of stockings and suspenders somewhere in that box. I picked this colour because I thought you would look hot in it... the blue reminds me of your eyes--"

"I can't wear this," she announced bluntly, as if she had already decided and there was no chance to persuade her.

Jaime blinked. "What?"

"I can't wear this," she said again. "I know you went to so much trouble to get this and it honestly looks lovely, but it won't look good on me. It won't--"

Although he had been anticipating a slightly nervous reaction, that Brienne had responded so suddenly and violently to the suggestion might be able to put on sexy underwear. "Of course it will. You'll look amazing." He tried to reach out and take her hand, sensing her uncertainty, but Brienne pulled away.

"Jaime, be serious," she said admonishingly. "I'm not a model. I'm not..."

"You don't need to be a model," he said, the thought of the blue silk and lace against Brienne's flushed, freckled skin making him turn red. "You just need to be yourself, yourself in lingerie."

 _Brienne,_ he would whisper in her ear, as he pumped his fingers inside her making her breathing become more ragged, _You turn me on so much. You are so gorgeous... so powerful... so strong... so sexy..._

Even as the image of an irresistible Brienne dressed in the lingerie that he had bought her danced round and round his head, Brienne made a scoffing sound and held up his gift in front of him. The dark blue negligee hung, delicate as gossamer, from her outstretched hands.

"There is barely any material to it!"

Jaime clicked his tongue in frustration. "It is _lingerie,_ Brienne, there is not meant to be much material to it. You are meant to just put it on and feel sexy being almost naked."

"Feel sexy?" she said, her blue eyes going wide in something that looked like horror. "How can I feel sexy in _this?_ It is for someone with big boobs and a tiny waist, someone who is actually..."

To Jaime's relief, she stopped before the word _attractive_ came out of her mouth. In the time she and Jaime had been together, Brienne had worked on trying to be more confident, and had actually spoken to a counsellor over her self-esteem issues. Jaime was so proud of her for how far she had come, but nevertheless remained immensely sad that she could not see herself through his eyes; she would then know that she shone with light.

Sighing, he reached out and took the lingerie from her, and it felt as if he was tearing a spider's web with how delicate it was.

"I chose this lingerie for you because the colour reminds me of your eyes, and I thought it would look good on you. _You,_ not anyone else," he said, not taking his eyes from her face. Brienne worried at her bottom lip, drawing it between her teeth. Even after a year of fucking, getting close to discussing what they did together made her turn red. "You don't need big boobs and a tiny waist for me to think you are hot, Brienne, because I fucking love you just the way you are. And I wish you could see it and feel it too, because I would love it if you could put this lingerie on and feel as sexy as I know you are; that was why I bought this present for you in the first place, because I want you to be happy and comfortable when we are in bed together."

"I _am_ happy and comfortable when we are in bed together," she said, finally finding the courage to look up at him. "Never doubt that."

He smiled at her gently. For all his confidence, Jaime was glad that she had given that small piece of reassurance. "I don't doubt it, but I _do_ worry that you sometimes do. Honestly, there is no pressure from me if you don't want to wear the lingerie - I'll return it first thing tomorrow - but I would really like it if you considered it. I have a frequent fantasy about you feeling strong and sexy in some banging lingerie while riding my dick until I scream."

"Jaime!" Brienne spluttered going the colour of a tomato. "You can't just say stuff like that!"

Jaime furrowed his brow. "I can, because you are my girlfriend. If I can't talk about my sexual fantasies with you, who can I talk to about them?"

Although something approaching a smile had settled on her mouth, Brienne still could not meet his eye, so she stared down at her hands which were resting in her lap. Wanting to retrieve her attention, Jaime reached out and put the lingerie in her hands. It worked, because Brienne looked back up, her gaze all embarrassment, nervousness, and an innocence that even his filthiest fantasies had never been able to shake.

"You don't have to wear this, Brienne, for me to keep loving you and wanting you," he said honestly. "Nevertheless, I think it could be something fun for us to try; just like you on top is fun, or me going down on you is fun. You were nervous about both at first, but once we tried them you wanted to do it again. It might be the same with this."

"But what if it's not the same?" she asked, her big eyes wide. "Wearing this is different from what we normally do. It asks me to be the one in charge, to be the one doing the seducing rather than being the seducer..."

Jaime could not resist cocking his eyebrow at her, suddenly all flirtatious. "I don't think I am always the seducer, Brienne. If I remember rightly, it was you who kissed me first."

She rolled her eyes. "Jaime! Please take this seriously!"

"I am," he said, his voice softening as he reached out and rested his hand on top of her hand, which was now tightly clutching the lingerie. "I don't know what more I can say. There is no pressure from me for you to actually wear this lingerie, but I would like it if you did. I think it would be fun and you don't have to feel nervous, because only I will see you wearing it, and you know how sexy I think you are. And if you don't like it, you can take it off and we can have sex like we normally do; totally naked."

He thought that last comment raised a smile from her, even as she shook her head.

"I'll think about it, Jaime, I promise I will," she said, gazing down at the lingerie as if it was a venomous snake, "but I don't know. I just... I just... don't know."

* * *

Jaime spent most of the rest of his day kicking himself for being so stupid. Why had he talked himself into thinking getting Brienne lingerie was a good idea? Although Brienne now seemed happy and satisfied with their sex life, she was still shy about trying new things, especially things that made her the centre of attention in the bedroom. He had been convinced by Margaery's calming words that it would be possible to communicate with Brienne clearly about what he wanted, but now...

 _Oh gods, I've screwed up,_ he thought, as he tried to concentrate on a departmental meeting about marking criteria. _Totally, totally screwed up. And I don't know how to make it better._

On the bus on the way home, he idly Googled "how to make up with my girlfriend". When he was with Cersei, it had taken weeks of putting up with the silent treatment and grovelling before she would deign him with her forgiveness. Would it be the same with Brienne? Especially for something so innocuous as suggesting she might want to feel sexy in lingerie.

When he returned to their flat, Jaime quietly made his way inside and deposited his bag in the living room. Taking off his coat and shoes, he wondered where Brienne was, but he soon got his answer when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Brienne.

 _Brienne:_ Will you come into our bedroom? There is something I want to show you.

Jaime sighed. They had reached the moment. When he was with Cersei, she would eventually summon him as if she were a queen and he a courtier and force him to beg for forgiveness. As he approached the room, Jaime tried to keep his expression neutral, but his endeavour failed when he opened the door, strode inside, and discovered that...

... Brienne was sitting on their bed, wearing the lingerie.

Her cheeks were a little flushed, but that was the only sign of embarrassment, nervousness, or vulnerability. In every other respect, she looked like a goddess. The way she was sat up, resting on her arms which were extended behind her, not only made his eyes dash to her breasts, which were hidden under a thin layer of silk and lace but also admire the arched perfection of her form. Her stomach was flat, firm, and splattered with freckles, and the stockings and suspenders only emphasised her long, strong legs, which Jaime suddenly imagined wrapped around him.

He swallowed heavily.

"Hello Jaime," she said, her voice as silky as the lingerie. When he did not immediately answer her, she tilted her head to one side. "Do you like what I wanted to show you?"

He nodded dumbly. "Yes... I just thought..."

"What?"

"I just thought..." The words stuck in his throat. "I just thought you were angry with me."

For a moment, the mask of the sexy seductress slipped. "Angry with you? About what?"

He waved his hand at her as an answer.

At his non-verbal response, Brienne let out a laugh, then looked down at herself. "Not angry, no. I would never be angry with you for telling me what you wanted. It's just... I was a little nervous, but then the more I thought about it today I realised that was my problem, not yours. I thought... if I could just bring myself to try... I might discover you were right, and I might be able to feel sexy in this."

"You look sexy to me," blurted Jaime, his mind devoid of much but _oh my gods oh my gods oh my gods..._

She smiled gently at his sudden outburst. "Well then, don't you think you better come here?"

With all the impulse control of a small child, Jaime scrambled onto the bed beside her and then positioned himself on his knees between her legs. She wasted no time in leaning forward and kissing him, wrapping him in her arms. Jaime let out a little moan when he felt the blunt texture of the lingerie through his shirt and unhappily thought that he was still clothed.

Brienne seemed to sense that, as she broke the kiss and then gazed into his eyes. "Take your shirt off," she ordered. There was a clipped authority in her voice that she had never used before, but he liked anyway.

After fumbling with his buttons, Jaime found himself shirtless with Brienne looking at him as if he was some delicious treat that she was about to consume. She lifted her hands and began to run them through his chest hair, which made him groan. Her touch was firm, but gentle, and it drove him wild.

"You know, the first time I ran my hands through your chest hair at Renly's party, I thought you were doing an impression of a lion."

Jaime snapped his eyes open. "An impression of a lion?"

"Yeah," Brienne giggled. "You were kinda growling, so I thought you were really getting into character, considering you were _dressed_ as a lion."

Jaime managed to let out a breathy laugh, despite the fact that Brienne's fingers had just grazed his nipple. "No impression of a lion, I'm afraid. I was just really, _really_ turned on that you were touching my chest, just like I am now. In fact, if I don't get these jeans off very soon, I'm worried my dick will snap off."

It was then Brienne's turn to laugh as she ran her hands down his chest so she could help him with his zip. "There we go," she said gently, once she had him freed. "Is that better?"

"Much," he purred, before launching forward and kissing her furiously in order to do something about the aching desire that was set to overtake him.

As they kissed, Brienne helped him wriggle out of his jeans and then his underwear, before flipping him on his back. Straddling him, she gazed down at him lustfully, while Jaime just waited for her move. To his surprise, in spite of her initial confidence, Brienne was now worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and seemed a little unsure of what to do. Already half-hard, Jaime had some ideas.

"Come here," he whispered, tapping either side of his head with his hands.

Brienne looked scandalised. "What? I can't..."

"I want to taste you through the silk," he smirked. "So sit on my face."

"I'm heavy," she began, "I'm..."

"It will just be like when I've eaten you out before, only this time you will be on top," he said with a smile. "I promise you, Brienne, it is nothing to be scared of."

It took a few seconds for Brienne to respond as she was busy screwing up all her courage, but soon she managed to bring herself to crawl up his chest and hover over him, waiting for final confirmation.

"That's it," he crooned. "Come here, Brienne. My Brienne. Let me give you pleasure."

When Brienne lowered herself down onto his mouth, Jaime let out a little groan as he began to suck at her through the silk. At the beginning of their relationship, he would have never believed that she could be so confident, as he remembered the way she had fled from him while he was so full of hope. Yet now she was straddling his face, letting him lick at her through the material of her underwear, while she pulled at his hair.

"Oh gods, Jaime... I... _ahh..._ oh... I want... _yes..._ right there... _right there..._ "

After a year of being together, Jaime knew just what he needed to do to push her right over the edge, even though there was a thin piece of silk between them. Part of him had wanted to tease her, but Jaime had quickly realised that Brienne needed to be rewarded for her bravery in first putting the lingerie on and then attempting to take charge if she was ever going to be confident in doing this again. As she came - loudly - Jaime congratulated himself on a job well done.

Brienne was still quivering slightly when she came and laid down beside him, her breath ragged. Jaime wasted no time. In all the time they had been together, it was most often him that took the lead in bed, so he decided to show his dominance by seizing the upper hand. When she leant forward to kiss him, Jaime pressed two fingers on her lips to stall her, then revelled in the way she let out an indignant little moan.

"No kissing until you are as naked as I am."

Her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline. "But I thought you liked this lingerie..."

"I do, but now I want you naked. So strip."

To his immense satisfaction, Brienne did what he ordered her to do, and was soon trying to take her bra off with shaking hands. Jaime helped by pulling at the silky undergarments, nearly ripping her stockings in his haste to get them off. Jaime kept his promise as, once she was naked, he kissed her at once. Their tongues tangled as she grasped at him - his shoulders, his sides, his arse - and Jaime could tell that his girlfriend was nowhere close to being done. Given how languid Brienne was from her recent orgasm, Jaime pressed his advantage. Rolling her over so her back was against his chest, Jaime pushed her down into the bed, then separated her legs further with his knees. His heart hammered in his chest as she let out an indecent moan at being open and exposed, and his blood was singing.

"Do you like it when I dominate you, Brienne?" he asked, brushing his cock against her slick centre. At his touch, Brienne let out a feeble whine. "That's not an answer. I asked if you like it when I dominate you. I expect you to respond with words."

Although in real life she was so strong and tough, in bed, Brienne loved being manhandled and Jaime was only too willing to oblige her.

"Yes," she breathed.

"Louder."

" _Yes."_

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I love it," she said, reaching back and grasping his hip in an attempt to be closer. "I love it when you dominate me."

"Good," he purred, "because that is what I am going to do."

Needing to give Brienne what she wanted, Jaime wrapped his arms around her, holding her still. Brienne let out a whine as he hovered over her, not doing anything more than rubbing the tip of his cock against where she was most sensitive. At his continued caress, her whine turned into a moan.

"What do you want, Brienne?" he whispered into her ear, holding back even though he desired nothing more than to pound into her, hard and fast until they both came apart with pleasure. "I need you to say it."

"I want you, Jaime," she panted. "You, Jaime. Please. _Please."_

While he liked it when she begged, he liked it even more when she was explicit.

"What do you want me to do?" he purred into her ear, enjoying the way she stiffened beneath him.

Brienne turned her head so he could see the profile of her face; one deep blue eye, her carved aspect, her swollen lips. She looked flushed, flustered, and on the precipice of a deluge. "Jaime... I don't... I don't know what to say..."

"Tell me what you want me to do to you. It turns me on so much when you say you want me, when you tell me--"

"Fuck me," she gasped, interrupting him before he could explain what he desired of her. "I want you inside me and I want you to fuck... _oh."_

There were more ways of interrupting than just with words. As he slid inside her in one easy stroke, Jaime pressed his forehead against the nape of her neck, marvelling at how warm and close and _good_ it felt, even though they had done this hundreds of times. He stilled inside her as Brienne embraced him, her body offering the barest resistance to his. He never felt as complete as when he was with her, so tilted his head and kissed her neck in order to tell her the depths of his feelings.

"Brienne... oh... _Brienne."_

Brienne was often quite quiet in bed, but he could tell through the way she moved her hips - dancing with his - and opened herself up to him, that she loved him deeply. It made Jaime feel simultaneously as light as a feather, and as if he could fuck her for weeks if that was what she wanted.

"That is it, sweetheart," he whispered, as Brienne pressed her face into the bed, allowing her to tilt her hips in such a way that granted him better access. "Take it. Fuck me back. Love me back."

Her body began to shake as he pounded into her harder, and she moaned when he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Although she wasn't forming coherent words, Jaime felt she did not need to, considering everything that her body was telling him; that she loved him, that she wanted him, that they belonged together. Given that her arms were constrained by his embrace, Brienne had no recourse to give her desire physical shape other than to rock her hips back into him, while closing her eyes, flushing prettily, and surrendering to her pleasure. The sight of her lost in the feeling of what they were doing together pushed Jaime over the edge. He had thought that he could keep his cool and tease out her pleasure, but there was never any artifice with Brienne. She gave him her desire without lies and only traded it for his desire in return. Jaime had never experienced such honesty in love before, so could not help but adore her with his whole heart. As his thrusts became more erratic, Brienne let out one long moan that was wrapped around his name. _Jaime._ It was too much for him, the thought that she wanted him, and loved him, and that they could make something beautiful together without there being a price.

He came with his teeth pressed into her shoulder, just biting hard enough to leave a mark. Brienne let out an aching moan as she was filled with his heat, and it inspired Jaime to continue to move, fucking his seed deeper inside her. Although she was on birth control, there was something almost primal in the gratification he got from coming inside her, to feel close and whole in a way he never felt anywhere else. It was only when he was finished - satiated and satisfied - that Jaime let go of her and rolled off her, enabling her to turn over and look up at him. There were stars in her eyes.

"Jaime," she murmured, reaching for him with one hand. She rested it on his neck and his skin prickled with yet more desire. "Jaime... I..."

She did not need to say it; Jaime could see in her flushed cheeks and bright eyes that she was not yet finished and still wanted something of him. Overwhelmed by the need to please her, Jaime moved closer and kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip until she let out a hungry little growl, making him pull back, smiling.

"Impatient, Brienne. I'll sort you out. Don't worry."

Before she could find the words to parry back, Jaime kissed the corner of her mouth to silence her, then her chin, and then lower and lower until she could do nothing but lay back against the pillows, overcome. He pushed opened her legs once more and got between them, kissing and kissing until he arrived at her cunt, dripping with his and her desire. The air was thick with the smell of them. When he looked up at her one last time, Jaime discovered that Brienne had her eyes closed, seemingly because she could not bear the pleasure that he was giving her.

 _I haven't finished yet, my love,_ he thought mischievously as he kissed the inside of her thighs. _Not even close. I said I wanted to be in bed with you all day, and that is a promise I am going to keep._

Then he buried his face in her cunt, which tasted of him, her, and the things they did together. His beard brushed against where she was most sensitive and did not let up until she was shuddering and swearing, pulling at his hair with her fingers that were entangled in his golden locks. He loved it when he reduced her to foul language at the height of her passion. She was normally so polite.

"Jaime... I... Jaime... oh... _oh..._ fuck I..."

He knew the way her desire built, and how it came out in her clenching and relaxing fingers, how she bit her lip so deeply it almost bled, and how her legs quivered against his ears in a way that was dangerously close to becoming a vice. As he kept going, licking and sucking, Brienne began to whimper, instantly telling Jaime that she was so close to having another wave wash over her.

"That's it, sweetheart," he crooned as he slipped his fingers inside her, pumping his hand in imitation of what his cock had just done. "Take what you need. That's it... _that's it..._ let go."

The grip in his hair became sharp, warning him of what was about to happen, and then Brienne let out a cry as she came, spasming around his fingers so tightly it was as if she wanted to hold him close and never let go. Jaime kept his mouth on her as she rode out her pleasure, because he wanted to taste what he had done to her. In all the years of his life, he had never tasted something so sweet.

Jaime stayed between Brienne's legs until he felt her hand on his shoulder, digging into his bunched muscles. Looking up, he was happy to see that she was gesturing towards him and, without a moment's hesitation, he crawled up her body to join her. He was kissing her before he had time to catch his breath and could barely bring himself to care that he was close to suffocation when he felt Brienne's hands running through his beard.

"That was _amazing,"_ she said when they eventually broke the kiss to catch their breath.

Jaime could not help but grin arrogantly at her. "I _told_ you."

"Okay, you don't have to be so smug about it," she smiled, moving her hand so she could stroke his hair behind his ear.

Jaime laughed. "Why? That is one of my chief joys in life; being smug when I'm right and you are wrong."

"You _terrible_ man," she teased.

"So you keep telling me."

To prove that was a lie, Brienne leant in and kissed him, and Jaime could do nothing but relax into her, letting her trace the inside of his mouth with her tongue. Moving her weight, Brienne rolled them both so she was on top, then kissed him back into the pillows, until he was breathless and total putty in her hands.

 _I love her,_ he thought, overwhelmed by her closeness and nearness, totally safe and secure in her arms. _So much._

When Brienne broke the kiss once more, she smiled at him, and it was like the first sunrise of spring.

"I know we booked that table at _Arbor Gold,_ but do we have to go out tonight? I quite like the idea of just staying in bed."

Jaime could not help but grin.

"That sounds good to me, Brienne. It sounds good to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wtf I wrote a sexually dominant Jaime. 2020 is doing a number on me.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed that, and I would love to hear what you think.


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